Crosby, Stills & Nash still get excited about going on stage

SINGAPORE — Back in the late Sixties, supergroups became the band du jour: There was Cream (featuring Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce), Blind Faith (Clapton, Baker, Steve Winwood, Ric Grech) and, of course, Crosby, Stills & Nash — or CSN, as they are popularly known — made up of three of pop music’s luminaries, Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Graham Nash.

All legends in their own right — Stills was with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby was with The Byrds and Nash was with The Hollies — CSN released their eponymous debut album in 1969. They were later joined by Neil Young and became CSNY, and released the group’s quintessential masterpiece, Deja Vu.

However, unlike other supergroups, CSN has, despite the vagaries of time, managed to regroup time and again — in between each members’ solo outings — for thousands of shows all over the world, performing some of the finest close-harmony pop songs of all time, including classics such as Teach Your Children, Our House, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Wooden Ships, Ohio and Wasted On The Way.

Instead of growing jaded, Nash said it’s still exciting to get up on stage to “do our thing”. “There’s a certain excitement when you’re playing to a new audience and seeing how that goes,” he said over the phone. “We’re actually a very energetic band — considering our age! When you’re on stage, you get into a mental state of … it’s the experience, it’s something you feel when you know you are connecting with the audience. You do get a high — I don’t mean like with drugs — but it’s a passion and energy that you can’t get anywhere else. And it’s a really good feeling.”

You can experience that energy when the band performs next Thursday (March 19) at the Star Theatre. “The fans have waited a long time to see us, but I can’t impress upon you how excited we are to play there!” he said, and it says a lot coming from the guy who performed at Woodstock, Red Rocks, Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Budokan and the Hollywood Bowl.

“Woodstock was a very special night and the others have been incredible, beautiful halls,” he said. “But I think Singapore is going to be a special one too.”

The show, said Nash, is going to be simple: Musicians connecting with their audience through music. “I like a performance that shows the interaction between the band members, without all those flashing lights, without the dancers — it’s all about the music,” he said. “We have more than 900 songs recorded between us, so picking a set list can be a little tricky! Certainly, we’ll play the songs that people want to hear, you know? We want to give audiences as much for their money.”

Of course, as any musician will tell, you can’t hit the road without having some Spinal Tap moments — when things don’t quite go as planned. “Oh, there are so many,” said Nash. “I remember doing a show at Carnegie Hall and just after a song … I was talking to the audience when David just went off the stage. And I looked around and then I realised that Stephen Stills was also standing off stage as well — and I was left there, standing, talking to the audience, wondering where the two of them were!”

Despite the rollercoaster career of CSN, one of the lifelong lessons Nash has learnt through the years is that honesty really is the best policy — particularly with oneself he explained. “I mean we’re so considerate about other people, and sometimes we do things we don’t really want to do because we don’t want to hurt other people’s feelings.

“But I think we have to sometimes acknowledge, be honest, and say ‘you know, I don’t really want to do this, but I’m doing because I don’t want to hurt my friends’ feeling or my family’s feelings’,” he continued. “But you have to be honest about that. Treat others how you would like others to treat you: That’s a lesson my parents taught me when I was young and I’ve lived by that.”

One might wonder this had an impact on Nash’s music career. Fact is, he has achieve a lot — including performing with Wynton Marsalis at the Lincoln Center (Nash is going to mix that performance for an album release after CSN finish their tour in Asia). And there are some still some dreams that Nash would like to fulfil. “I’d like to do Yesterday on stage with Paul McCartney — just the two of us. I think we’d kill it.”

The members of CSN have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but just how does Nash want CSN to be remembered? “Well, hopefully, history will record that CSN really cared about the world and they tried their best to make people smile through their music. Judging by the response they’ve received, that’s probably a given.

Crosby, Stills & Nash perform on March 19 at the Star Theatre. Tickets from SISTIC.