The crowd was sparse, but those in attendance, Saturday night, April 16^th, were thrilled to be in the presence of two thirds of the legendary CSN. Graham Nash and David Crosby took the stage with the rest of their band at 8pm and wasted no time going into the Byrds classic “Eight Miles High.” This opening number surprised even the hardcore hippies in the audience and was met with thunderous applause. Nash and Cros, as Nash referred to him throughout the show, smiled and settled into a groove that lasted until 10:30pm, when they finally left the stage.

The band needs to be mentioned, as they were very impressive throughout the entire evening. Whether it be an acoustic song, a heartfelt song, an electric protest song or just a fun ditty, guitarist Dean Parks stood tall and played his heart out. Parks often stole the spotlight from his famous bosses, as was the case during “Long Time Gone” and “Cathedral.” Drummer Steve DiStanislao seemed joined at the hip with Jackson Browne bassist Kevin McCormick, while Crosby’s son, James Raymond, handled the keyboards.

It must be said that Crosby performs at about 75% of his old self but he still was able to make a few jokes while wandering aimlessly around the stage. Nash, on the other hand, has not lost a step. His voice, stage presence and passion come through loud and clear whether it be an extended jam ala “To the Last Whale,” a CSN classic, “Wasted on the Way” or a lesser known tune such as “Jesus of Rio.”

Nash proved he is still quick with a joke as he taunted Crosby that the band was going to play “Wooly Bully,” a song that outperformed “Mr. Tambourine Man.” When not joking with the audience, Nash proved he is still a hippie at heart, as he lectured the audience about fighting the system and demanding tax laws be changed so that huge corporations pay their fair share. Crosby joined in on the preacher circuit as well, as he performed a song titled “Don’t Dig Here” that is about nuclear waste and warnings for future generations to know where to dig to avoid nuclear radiation. Crosby says the tough part will be figuring out how to make warning signs in cockroach as that is all that will be here in 10,000 years.

After a spirited version of “Marrakesh Express” the band took a short break. The second set featured many songs one might not expect to hear from a duo that has so many classic tunes at their fingertips. “What are Their Names,” “In Your Name,” “They Want It All,” “Grace,” “Camera” and “Delta” were all performed well but one could feel the audience would have much rather heard “Almost Cut My Hair Today” or several of the other classic Crosby, Stills & Nash songs of the past. The second set ended with “Wooden Ships” and the following one song encore saw the band perform “Teach Your Children,” ending the performance on a high note.

At the end of the day, the quality of the band was impressive, Nash’s ability to sing, play and emcee the crowd was a surprise and Crosby’s heart was apparent as he wore it on his sleeve throughout the night.