Graham Nash at The Old Town School of Folk Music: A special night of music in a special venue

It was the early 1970s when I first saw Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young perform. The venue was a large baseball stadium. I remember the excitement of being with more than forty-thousand rock music fans. I don't remember much else, after all, it was the seventies.

It was four decades later when I saw the band again, sans Young. This time it was at Ravinia, in suburban Highland Park, Illinois. A much smaller venue made it easier to concentrate on the music.

It's now a decade since concert number two. Crosby has died. Stills hearing loss has affected his voice. Young is pissed at Ticketmaster and hasn't toured since before the pandemic. That leaves Graham Nash to carry on on his own.

For the last few years, Nash has been performing in super-small venues. He's joined on stage by guitarist Shayne Fountaine and keyboardist Todd Caldwell. That's it, no drums or base. It's a setup that works well in a small concert hall.

This week, Nash has taken his act to Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music for five sold-out performances. The theater holds only four-hundred seats; each one has an excellent view of the stage. It's the perfect venue for a concert of this type.

The music is what you would expect. You'll hear all the songs you know and love from his CS&N and his solo act catalog. Highlights included “Our House”, “Cathedral” and “Just a Song Before I Go.” Depending on the night you attend, you might catch a couple of tunes from his time with The Hollies, cover versions of songs from his former bandmates and even “A Day in the Life” from The Beatles.

Nash still has that tenor voice that melded perfect harmonies with Crosby. At age eighty-one, it's not as strong as it once was. He struggles to reach the higher range notes but while noticeable, it's not a big deal. It's nothing different than what you get from other artists in his age range.

Between the venue and the songs you can't help but to sing along with, it was a special two hours of music. It reminds you of how great music can be when played by the right people in the right place.