Graham Nash!

 Look on my Mount Rushmore of music and you find 8 people. The Beatles of course and Crosby Stills Nash and Young. Spotify can attest to the fact my most listened to groups are those two. Yeah, childhoods are difficult to shake.

Graham Nash stopped his tour in Omaha last nite to play to a large crowd of olds like us. Nash is 82, looks much younger and sounds like he did in 1972. Nash was always the levelheaded one of the 4 men in CSN&Y. While they fought, he seemed to be the peacemaker who somehow would always smooth things over with the troubles that the other 3 ego maniacs had with each other and more great music would be made. Tours would come to be, until the inevitable explosion of egos would occur, and years would pass before the peace would be achieved again. Well, Crosby is dead now and any reunion is a pipe dream.

Nash came on stage and immediately stated he was in a great mood, the last 3 weeks at least. He gave a shout out to Nebraska born Tim Walz to huge cheers. Yes, these are my peeps. Let the show begin.

Nash launched right into Wasted on the Way, then began a series of stories before every song. Marrakesh Express, written on a train with dogs and pigs, heading for Marrakesh. A series of deep cuts, all with a story that made the song even more fascinating before The Hollies Bus Stop. The story of the 15-year-old kid they got the song from made it even better. Immigration Man, Love the One You're With ended the first set before the intermission. 

The second set began with a series of solo songs with Nash at a piano singing about relationships with Joni Mitchell and Rita Coolidge. The guy is a genius. Something happens to him and a song pops into his head. It's amazing to hear these stories and then get a whole new perspective on music I've listened to for 50 some years. 

The concert ended with an old hippie sing along. All of us belting out Our House, Teach your Children, Chicago and Ohio. It was grand!

The musicians Nash brings with him are amazing as well. Keyboard player Todd Caldwell seems like the conductor onstage. He's Nash's Nash. Keeping things rolling. Zach Djanikian played guitar, drums, saxophone, mandolin and bass. Adam Minkoff was also the jack of all trades, playing drums, guitar (a great solo on Ohio) and bass. They all blended their voices with Nash so that if you closed your eyes, you'd swear it was CSN&Y up there.

Go see him if you get the chance. The stories alone make it worth it.