Oh wow, it was quite a night at Staples Center. Packed house, nobody looked a day under 40 but all looked very shining and beautiful. Lots of the aging children arrived hours early and hung out in the great restaurant and bar area. Saw at least two grandmas in their 70s in tie dye. There was such a uplifting spirit of anticipation everywhere. The boys all looked so impossibly youthful, especially Neil, who is very trim and slim, with long locks and cowboy hat, just rockin. Graham was hip-hopping across the stage all night. Stills' energy was endless and amazing. Croz looked hale and hearty and happy. A few new songs, a few transcendent moments and a few surprises. Accompanied by the great Booker T. Jones on organ, Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass and Steve Potts on drums.
Set list: a rousing Carry On that sequed into Buffalo Springfield's Questions; Nash's Military Madness; I'm Goin On; long version of Wooden Ships; new Stills song - Feed The People; new Neil song - You're My Girl about his daughter growing up that had a strong Booker T backbeat; Nash - I Used to be a King; Southern Man; Southern Cross; Almost Cut My Hair; Cinnamon Girl; Helplessly Hoping; Our House (aka Ode to Joni and the cats) which brought down the house; Old Man; Guinevere; The Lee Shore (omigawd gorgeous); Harvest Moon; Stills on keyboard and the boys channeling blue-eyed playing a Booker T song - Trouble Can't Get Me Down; Nash's awesome Half Your Angels (written after the Oklahoma City bombing and now dedicated to 9/11); an extended Suite Judy Blue Eyes with Stills playing solo guitar that sounded simultaneously like banjo and mandolin on an instrumental interlude; Neil's Let's Roll; Long Time Gone; Neil's Hear No Evil, Feel No Evil (in My Heart); and then Joni fans - the most ROCKIN ROCKIN version of Woodstock I've ever heard - intense, passionate and tearing off the roof with Neil ending it with a few solo notes a la Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner; finishing with Keep On Rockin in the Free World - the house on their feet dancing, clapping and shouting it out. Encore: The most Byrdish version of Eight Miles High I've ever heard them do, with Neil channeling McGuinn's guitar. Throughout the boys were very mellow but energized and the crowd was right with them singing along gently and unobtrusively like a children's choir on almost every song. I recently read Croz's lament about no one wanting to hear them anymore, how the music biz wants the Britneys, etc. Well, listen here Mr. Crosby, I don't think Britney is going to see the same crowd of shining faces 17,000 strong, ditching work early and fighting traffic to want to be nowhere else than seeing her and singing along to her every song by heart 35 years from now. You are the classics and will ever be. And we will be always be there as long as you are playing. ;-) Kakki
