Crosby, Stills and Nash still sound great to fans

If the band raced through some of their oldies, most in the crowd didn't notice.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Rain drizzled down on concertgoers just as Crosby, Stills and Nash were wrapping up their first song, "Carry On," but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of those in attendance.
Draped in hooded plastic ponchos, some ticketholders who arrived late danced their way to their seats, singing along with the band.
By the time the legendary singers-songwriters got to their third song, "Marrakesh Express," the capacity crowd was cheering and the drizzle had stopped.
"I've been a fan since way back -- 30 years," said Lydia Beyer of Struthers. Beyer was seated at the end of a row in the grandstand and, with her cheering and clapping, stood out as the most enthusiastic among her group of friends.
The first Crosby, Stills and Nash concert she attended was in the 1980s. Monday's show at the Canfield Fair was just as good, she said.
"They've aged very well. They sound just like all of their old albums -- I'm still an album player -- I have about 15," Beyer said.
Gwen Davis of Austintown also thought the band sounded just like it did in the old days. She and her husband, Bruce Davis, danced in their seats through the entire 21/2-hour show.
Davis has been to at least 10 Crosby, Stills and Nash concerts plus concerts when Neil Young was part of the band and said they sounded the same as the first concert she attended Aug. 31, 1974. She knows the precise date because it is engraved on a gold medallion that she wears on a chain around her neck.
"I love these guys," shouted Bob Siegle of Canfield as he jumped out of his seat, arms in the air and cheering. Clad in a yellow flowered shirt, Siegle said, "I'm 48 and I've been a fan since they first came around."
He's been to nine Crosby, Stills and Nash concerts and said the band "sounds as good as they always did. These guys are great musicians!"
A long way
"We came all the way from England for this concert," said Kate O'Sullivan. She and her husband, James O'Sullivan, and a friend, Lin Desmit, planned their holiday around the band's concert tour.
The trio, from Bristol, England, planned to visit O'Sullivan's sister in Canfield and when they heard about the Crosby, Stills and Nash engagement at the fair, decided that is when they'd make their trip, she said.
"I've been a fan since I was knee-high," O'Sullivan added. "They are fabulous."
This was the fourth Crosby, Stills and Nash concert she's attended.
An hour into the concert, the drizzle started again, but the crowd, many jumping to their feet and cheering after each song, didn't seem to notice.
"We grew up with this music -- us 50- and 60-year-old people," said Mike DeNiro of Boardman. This was the first Crosby, Stills and Nash concert he's been to.
"A long time ago when they were performing, I was in Vietnam," he explained. "But I have every album and I know every word of all their songs. They sound really, really good tonight."
Tom Olsavsky of Youngstown was one of few concert goers disappointed in the show. Or, as he described it, "somewhat, but not totally, disappointed. I understand they've mellowed with age."
Olsavsky has been to four of the band's concerts, including a few that included Neil Young.
"They played 'Southern Cross,' the last song before intermission, too fast. I think one of them had to pee or something. I thought they were playing a record on 78. They're doing their old songs like it's a chore," Olsavsky griped.
Introductions
If the band did race through some of their oldies, most in the crowd didn't seem to notice. They also clapped and cheered when band members introduced their new songs: "Feed the People," which asked "Why not feed the people everywhere and let the peace begin?"; a bluesy rendition of a song titled "Old Man Trouble," which some of the band members readily admitted they have too much of; and a song, described by the band as an angry rock song "about people who have their whole life savings ripped off by people like Enron." By the end of that chorus, much of the audience was singing along:
"They want it all.
They want it now.
They want to get it,
and they don't care how..."
The crowd stayed on its feet singing "Our House" with the performers and let out a deafening roar when the headliners introduced their band, including David Santos, a Canfield native.
Santos has been playing with Crosby, Stills and Nash about six months. Two long-time band members also are from Ohio.
By 10:25 p.m., the concert was winding down, the drizzle had changed to a steady, light rain, and concert goers, some with plastic bags covering their heads, began to filter out.
Those who remained, let out another deafening roar, sang along and danced as the band ended the show with a soulful rendition of "Teach Your Children Well."
kubik@vindy.com