CSNY Still Rockin' in the Free World
So there I am last night, sitting down, minding my own business when a friend calls me up. He quickly informs me that he has an extra ticket to the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young concert at the Air Canada Centre. I jump on it without question, who knows if they will ever be in town again, this was a chance I couldn't let slip by me. While some view the resurgence of the older rock crowd as a money grab, I say it is a chance to hear some great music that I always enjoyed, performed by the men who wrote it so many years ago.
The boys took the stage around 8pm (no opener), playing for a good hour and a bit before taking an intermission. The first set was a solid collection of songs from each individual with all four taking part in the music or lyrics. When they returned to the stage, they were set up for straight acoustic, and continued on with some of the bigger tracks we are all familiar with. A few tracks from Neil's latest album Living with War found their way into the concert, with Let's Impeach the President getting the biggest reaction (they even displayed the lyrics on the screens for the audience to sing along).
Perhaps the most enthusiastic performance they gave was to Rockin' in the Free World, as they ranged across the stage firing the lyrics out with heart and soul. The only downside of the entire night was when Stills fell into the monitors at the front of the stage, injuring his hand and negating any encore (which rumour has it would have included Woodstock) despite an enormous standing ovation.
The show itself was somewhat nostalgic, no fancy video screens, fireworks or caged females painted like zebras, and to those few people who might say "Well that's not much of a show" I say this; seeing these legends of music perform live, still rocking out as hard as they did twenty years ago is what makes the show. Oh and perhaps also watching Neil Young perform complicated and incredible guitar solos just months after a stroke. Incredible.
Comments (6)
Sounds like a great night. I have always wondered what would happen if Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young had a baby?? Has anyone else wondered that too??
CSN&Y on 7/10/06 was the 24th time ive seen Neil. I live in rural western N.Y. and it was my first time in downtown toronto. stayed sunday night at the chealsea delta so i could get there early to see if there were any better tickets than my 4th row rflr. i bought a row 1 CFLR seat 27 from a scalpper. dead center, best seat in the house, right in front of Neils microphone, five feet from him. cost me 400.00 and i couldnt believe my good fortune. you may have seen me, Some think i look just like crosby. not true, he has a bigger belly and more grey hair. i thought stills was great when he did treetop flyer. rockin in the free world reaffirmed that Neil is still the master of feedback and hasnt lost a step. i was very upset when i heard stills tripped and hurt himself tuesday nite (7/11). very relived to hear he is ok. my wife and i have 3rd row pit seats for saratoga springs 8/19. great seats but front row is an experiance of a lifetime. it will be 25 times ive seen Neil. 4 of those times were with CSN. toronto was the 5th time ive had front row seats. im not a grouppie, just old. tickets go on sale for farmaid in camden N.J. (Philly) on 7/22. I hope i get a good seat. first time I saw them was at woodstock. there music had a great influence on my life, especially neil. weve gone through seasons of the ageing process together. in my opinion, Neil Young is the greatest singer, song writer, and yes, guitarest of all time. we are going to see bonnie rait this friday 7/14 in canadaiguia n.y. and bob dylan in rochester n.y. on 8/30. all the rockers are rockin this summer. sorry if i sound like im bragging, fact is 400.00 front row seats come with bragging rights. and in the unlikely event Neil reads this post, this note's for you. there are no words to describe what your music has meant to me. your music is the only thing ive ever loved with all my heart. ive spent the last 40 years waiting and hoping you would release yet one more album, and go on one more tour. prairie wind really hit home. my dad died of alzhiemers just a few months before you lost your dad. alot of other stuff to. i think i understand why you work at such a frantic rate. time is much more precious when there is less of it to waste. bonnie raitt said that. thank you for the music. I salute your life. Doug S.
Actually Neil didn't have a stroke, he
had a stint inserted into his brain to
prevent a major aneurysm from bursting.
Several days later, the incision in his
leg (where they inserted the tube that
fed to his brain to place the stint)
broke open while he was on a walk down
the street from the hospital, and he
lost conscious due to blood loss.
@ RE*AC*TOR
Thanks, I read a while back that he had a stroke, must have been early reports, or perhaps the person who wrote it had bad info, in any case, sorry for the mix up!
Matty
my appologies, when I posted I thought my comments would be seperate from your topic. didnt mean to infringe on your topic. first time posting here. hopefully no harm no foul. Doug S.
@ Doug
No worries, I enjoyed your viewpoint (which were better seats than I had) and hope you comment more!
Cheers;
Matty
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