Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s ‘Freedom Speech ’06’ tour features listing of servicemen and women killed in Iraq.
Stephen Stills
By Ad Crable
Published Aug 26, 2006 13:57
But here he was on a breezy Friday night at Hersheypark Stadium, 37 years later, grooving to one of the last bands who appeared at Woodstock still making music.
And he got Neil Young to boot.
And a fabulous, time-stopping night of music, three hours and 34 songs worth, a Springsteenish marathon that hardly seemed to faze these 60-ish rockers with a conscience.
Maybe because they had something to say.
CSN&Y’s “Freedom of Speech ’06” tour rolled into town raging against what the band sees as a futile war bleeding a nation — again — and another president they’d like to see impeached.
The Hershey stop drew a disappointing 12,000 fans. Perhaps it was the $38-to-$176 tickets. Maybe, as one security guard suggested, it was the region’s conservative bent.
“Somebody has to speak up. The country’s at risk and someone has to do something about it,” railed Tom Herr (not the Barnstormers manager), an East Hempfield Township resident, before the concert.
“The younger generation should take a lesson from this.”
Neil Young’s recent, blistering “Living with War” album was played almost in its entirety and seemed to match the mindset of the crowd.
The tour has gotten some disgusted walk-outs but the closest thing to a protest was one man yelling out “Support the troops!” during a poignant rendition of “Find the Cost of Freedom,” during which a backdrop screen showed pictures of all 2,609 American soldiers killed in the Iraq war so far — it took the whole song.
The boys’ protest songs from yesteryear, such as “Ohio” “Carry On” and “Long Time Gone” were well presented and amply fleshed out with guitars and composite vocals.
But it was not all raging. It would be unthinkable to have the quartet together without their layered-harmony chestnuts. And they produced some of the night’s high points.
Always a tenuous gravely voice anyway, age has caught up with Stephen Stills. Young’s whine hasn’t changed an iota since Buffalo Springfield.
Any lingering worries that Nash’s and Crosby’s golden voices might have grayed along with their hair were dispelled in such complex CSN&Y classics as “Deja Vu” and “Helplessly Hoping.”
Young sat down at the piano for a heartfelt version of “Only Love Can Break your Heart,” with Nash and Crosby, who turned 65 two weeks ago, standing beside their longtime friend adding gentle harmony. It brought down the house.
Crosby and Nash next teamed on an equally sublime “Guinnevere,” with Crosby’s gentle, crisp guitar picking wrapping around one of the most beautiful songs ever written by the band.
Nostalgia reached its peak with “Our House,” penned by Nash about his brief but fond relationship with Joni Mitchell.
One of the best songs of the night was the oldest chestnut of all, Stills’ “For What It’s Worth,” penned in 1967 for Buffalo Springfield, which also included Young.
CSN’s last appearance at Hersheypark was five years ago almost to the day when they appeared before 5,000 at the Star Pavilion. Young with his electric band, Crazy Horse, rocked the Giant Center in March 2004.
The crowd was a predictable mix of balding pates and newer generations who’ve been indoctrinated with CSN&Y lore by their parents.
Sarah Kohler, 21, of York didn’t mind being seen at the concert with her parents. “They’re the best ones to go with because they know the music best,” she said.
After the acoustic trip down memory lane, the band revved things up again until running up against Hersheypark’s 11 p.m. music curfew.
Perhaps that’s why they didn’t have an encore, which has often been “Love the One You’re With” or “Woodstock.”
Instead, the band brought down the house with an extended, pulsating rendition of Young’s timeless rock emblem, “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World,” a welcome late addition to the tour.
Bent over, prying out distorted wails from his guitar, Young didn’t want to give up and wore out his comrades until he finally brought the pulsating song to a screeching halt.
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