Graham Nash @ Asbury Hall Buffalo, NY 3-8-20

2-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Graham Nash made an appearance at the intimate Asbury Hall in downtown Buffalo, NY this past Sunday night. Anytime you can witness one of the most iconic singer songwriters of the 20^th century, you do what you can to take in the show. So, it was to no one’s surprise that the show was sold out. Many know Nash from his time in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and The Hollies before that. Nash was accompanied by Shane Fontayne on guitar and Todd Caldwell on keyboards. The trio packed a punch through the 2-hour performance.

The band took the stage at 8:05pm and went into the Crosby, Stills and Nash classic “Wasted on the Way.” Right from that point, you can sense that not only was the band tight, but Nash’s vocals were pitch perfect along with Fontayne’s and Caldwell’s harmonies. This was an evening of both music and the stories of how the music came to life. Throughout the show, Nash lauded both Stills and Crosby as fantastic writers. He talked about a few stories with them including sailing from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco with Crosby that took 6 weeks. “Wind on Water” soon followed this narrative. Nash made his feelings known on his voting preference and urged the crowd to get out and vote as the song “Military Madness” was tied into this. The band took a 20-minute break in between sets but they picked up right where they left off with a strong rendition of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young classic “Marrakesh Express.” Nash wrote “Wounded Bird” for Stills and the band performed this by coming together and singing into one microphone. They also did this for the Buddy Holly cover “Everything.” They closed the set with everyone singing together (including the audience) for “Teach Your Children.”

Nash’s vocals were almost just as good as they were 50 plus years ago when he was with the Hollies and then Crosby, Stills & Nash (later Young). It was an enjoyable experience for the concert attendees. Nash was very appreciative of the crowd and their attentiveness throughout the show. There was a mutual admiration that was felt between both the performer and the audience. It’s not often that happens but on this Sunday night in Buffalo, it transcended throughout the entire show and I was glad to be a part of it!

Set 1:

Wasted on the Way (Crosby, Stills & Nash song)

King Midas in Reverse (The Hollies song)

I Used to be King

Chicago (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song)

Carried Away (Crosby, Stills & Nash song)

Sleep Song

4 + 20 (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song)

Military Madness

Wind on Water (Crosby & Nash song)

A Day in the Life (The Beatles cover)

Set 2: