"May they stay forever
Young"
Review on Minneapolis show
By Jon Bream
Star Tribune
February 26, 2000
PHOTO: Richard Tsong-Taatarii / Star Tribune
Let's be honest: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young should rightfully be billed with Neil
Young first. After all, his participation dramatically changes the chemistry and sound of
CSN. He provides a gritty soulfulness and rock 'n' roll oomph to the pretty, harmony-heavy
folk-rock.
On CSN&Y's first concert tour since 1974, Young clearly made the difference
Saturday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. As 13,000 aging hippies and a handful of
their children flocked to see this graying, balding hippie quartet, they saw the hunched
guitarist in the plaid shirt ignite the joint.
Even on the material from 1999's "Looking Forward," CSN&Y's first studio
album since 1988, it was Young who shone brightest. His simple, gentle, wistful
"Slowpoke" stood out in the opening hourlong set, whereas Graham Nash's
"Heartland" was painfully sappy and David Crosby's "Stand and Be
Counted" sounded like hollow rhetoric. And when Stephen Stills dedicated "Faith
in Me" to Jesse Ventura, the crowd booed.
Leave it to Young to say the right things. He dedicated "Almost Cut My Hair" to
President Dwight Eisenhower. He also talked about the cool defunct railroad yard in
downtown Minneapolis before Nash sang "Marrakesh Express." And in
mid-song,
Young ad-libbed an "All aboard."
When it came to oldies in the opening set, Young's solo favorites -- a scorching
"Southern Man" and a spicy "Cinnamon Girl" -- were
crowd-pleasers.
Easily the highlight of the first hour was CSN&Y's "Almost Cut My
Hair,"
sharpened by Young's dark, stinging electric guitar and Crosby's strong, clear emphatic
voice. By contrast, Stills was not in good voice, sounding parched and unable to hit high
notes. (He did sound suitably raunchy on "Woodstock.") In fact, he was so off on
"49 Bye-Byes," from CSN's 1969 debut, that after a minute, Crosby slashed his
fingers across his throat to cut it off and then announced, "We can't do a song that
good that bad."
Such honesty was appreciated. And it seemed to get CSN&Y back on track. After a brief
intermission, the quartet sat down for a triumphant acoustic set, charming fans with the
oldies "Helplessly Hoping," the sing-along "Our House" and the lovely
"Teach the Children." Young's reflective "Old Man," a solo hit, lost
its usual rough edges thanks to the sweet harmonies of his bandmates.
The camaraderie and spirit were undeniable during the hourlong acoustic set despite the
gentleness of the music. Even new tunes connected, with Young's jazzy atmospheric electric
guitar fills nicely framing Crosby's "Dream for Him." "This is what you
came for -- songs," Nash declared.
CSN&Y then played "Looking Forward," the title song from last year's
comeback CD that has been far from a best-seller. Still, there was a warmth and
campfire-like camaraderie that wasn't apparent when Young sang that song solo last year at
the Historic Orpheum Theatre.
And then it was a Young solo classic, "After the Gold Rush," that drew the
loudest response during the acoustic segment. He sang the hippie nugget sitting at his
mellotron, with Crosby and Nash standing behind him providing the harmonies.
Young, who
has had most successful solo career of the four, actually offered six songs from his
catalogue. Maybe that's the way it should be -- because Young is why people should go see
CSN&Y.
