Review: Graham Nash, St. George’s

It’s a hot summer night. People are sipping fresh drinks and chatting away in the garden of St. Georges, excited about what’s to come. Tonight’s headline is pretty special: Graham Nash, and it’s not surprising to say that the show is sold out. The evening promises not only an array of well-known songs but also anecdotes about the songs and what inspired Nash to write them at the time. Numbers from Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young) and The Hollies are expected as well as repertoire from his solo career.

Shane Fontayne and Graham Nash ©John Morgan Photography

Lights are subdued, big candles sit at the back of the stage and their flames dance on the rhythm of the music, which only enhances the spiritual effect of the venue. The quiet crowd piously listen as if attending a religious service. Graham Nash is accompanied by outstanding musicians: Shane Fontayne on the guitar, long-time colleague and producer of his last album This Path Tonight, and Todd Caldwell on the keyboards, who used to play with CSN.

Both musicians are impeccable backing vocalists as well and have nothing to be ashamed of in comparison to Crosby and Stills. Their voices blend perfectly with Nash’s to create those goose bumps-giving harmonies. This is immediately showcased on the first number of the set, Taken at All, one of the greatest CSN songs which portrays the fragility of friendships and the difficulties of handling fame. The beautiful guitars, folk at times, blues at others only strengthen the bittersweet feeling of the song. It is quite powerful to start with this number which contains the line “Lost along the highway”. It might have been relevant at the time but it is difficult to picture Nash in a similar situation now with his incredible career behind him which has lead him to the status of a legend.

Shane Fontayne, Graham Nash and Todd Caldwell ©John Morgan Photography

Nash embarks the audience back and forth through his musical career. It was with the Hollies that it all started so for him to play one of their best-known songs, Bus Stop, is only logical. The set list doesn’t have a chronologic order but is finely and interestingly put together. Nash includes several songs of his first solo album Songs for Beginners, which gave birth to many hits that have been played at his shows for years without actually aging. From this album, written after his dramatic split from then partner Joni Mitchell, Nash performs I Used to be a King, a poignant ballade mixing nostalgic lyrics with a perfect blend of folk and sixties pop arrangements. He then sits at the piano and plays Simple Man, a “simple tune” which demonstrates that the most schematic songs can be the most compelling sometimes. The rendition of the song is particularly moving with its humble introspection full of sadness but tinted of forward-looking hope. It’s the best time in the set to transition to his latest release with the performance of Myself at Last, a tale of finally finding himself and a new love after battling through tough times. Nash also shows that he has more than one trick up his sleeves with the cover of The Beatles’ A Day In A Life, a risky choice considering the complexity of the song but the result is stunning, ending in a psychedelic feast of lights on the ceiling of St George’s.

Graham Nash ©John Morgan Photography

Graham Nash continues to explore CSN repertoire with the loved Marrakesh Express, the famous Our House and the recorded-in-one-take Lady of the Island. The show is also full of tales and funny anecdotes such as the story behind Just a Song Before I Go, originally a challenge laid down by one of his “dealer” friends: “I’ll give you 500 dollars if you can write a song in an hour before you go”. It’s easy to say that Nash still has the 500 dollars in his pocket and the song only proves his incredible talent as a song writer.

Some of the common themes of Nash’s song writing, except for love, are political, social and environmental issues. Some songs written in the seventies, such as Immigration Man and Military Madness, are still more than relevant today. His worries about climate change and the environment (a dig at George Bush is inserted there) are shared with Wind of the Water, a mournful appeal about the slaughtering of wales. Nash’s passionate play on the piano sounds like the water while Fontayne intervenes with high-pitched guitar sounds which echo the whale to perfection. As Caldwell is from Lubbock, birthplace of legend Buddy Holly, Graham Nash and his musicians come back for a very special encore with the cover of Every Day, their harmonies work giving an interesting twist to the well-known song. Teach your Children is the last number performed and it couldn’t have been a better way to conclude this amazing journey through Graham Nash’s career and life.

All photos by John Morgan