Crosby, Stills, & Nash in Manchester, UK
Last night’s Crosby, Stills, & Nash concert in Manchester was the best concert I’ve ever attended in my life. And I’m not the only person who felt that way. I heard several other people say the same thing as we made our way to the parking garage afterward.
We were lucky to have snagged great seats (2nd row center*), which obviously added to our enjoyment, but it was far more than that. The performance simply felt special. Maybe it was because it was Manchester and Graham Nash had family in the audience. Whatever it was, it came across strongly.
*If we’d known the seats were going to be so good, we would have brought a better camera. These are from my iPhone.
Graham Nash & David Crosby. In background: James Raymond, keyboard.
And it extended to the audience. Those who know me best could say with some justification that I’m not the most sociable person on the planet, but it felt as if we made some friends last night. We chatted during the intermission with the two couples seated in front of us, and they were feeling the same way we were feeling about this concert. One couple’s enjoyment of “Southern Cross” had been so apparent that Stephen Stills noticed. He kept grinning at them as he sang, and when the song was over, he threw his guitar pick to them. It landed behind their chairs, but they couldn’t find it. A few minutes later, my husband spotted it on the floor. He grabbed it and gave it to them.
It was that kind of night. The sort of night that makes a guy give Stephen Stills’s guitar pick(!!) to someone he’s never met before because he knows that particular pick means more to them at that moment that it will ever mean to him.
Pure magic.
Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and David Crosby
It seemed as if the band were enjoying themselves as well. I hope they were. I hope they got as much enjoyment out of the evening as they gave us.
David Crosby & Graham Nash. In background: Joe Vitale on drums and Bob Flower (?) on bass guitar
For the encore, they had the ropes that had been placed a few feet front of the stage moved back, so folks could get right up next to the edge of stage. I guess my son would have called it “the mosh pit.” Anyway, it was neat. It was special. They sang “Wooden Ships,” then they came back once more for a final song. It was “Teach Your Children.” I’ve never really liked that song. There are lines in it that hurt. I guess that’s a big part of what makes it such a great song. Those lines hurt right now more than ever, so it was even harder to listen to than normal … but at the same time, it was the perfect song to end that concert. I can’t really say why. Like so much of the rest of the evening, it just felt that way.
Stephen Stills. In background: Todd Caldwell on organ
So thank you, Messrs Crosby, Stills, and Nash et al. You gave us an unforgettable evening.
(Update: Thank you to winslowboy from the Rockphiles.com forums, who had the presence of mind to write down the names of the very talented gentlemen in the backing band. I was too busy taking shaky pictures of them with my iPhone when they were introduced.)