Blast from the past with Crosby, Stills & Nash

MANILA, Philippines - Catch rock’s first super group perform its great hits when Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) visits Manila for an evening of soft-rock songs and beautiful harmonies during a concert on March 16, 8 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

The historic one-night musical event from Ovation Productions, dubbed Crosby, Stills & Nash Live In Manila!, is part of the legendary American trio’s 2015 Asian tour that also includes several key cities in Japan as well as Singapore.

It is expected to draw a huge turnout of rock fans, mostly Baby Boomers lured by the sound of the legendary act considered as rock’s first super group and widely credited for some of the most enduring songs and wonderful harmonies of the ’70s.

Concert-goers will experience an exciting blast from the past as the powerhouse folk rock group presents an awesome collection of close, high harmonies and soft rock songs, such as Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Marrakesh Express, Woodstock, Our House, Teach Your Children, Ohio and Carry On.

Other classic hits in its song list include Just A Song Before I Go, Wasted On The Way, Almost Cut My Hair and Love The One You’re With.

Composed of David Crosby (vocals, guitar), Stephen Stills (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Graham Nash (vocals, guitar), Crosby, Stills & Nash brought harmony to the forefront of popular music with its unique three-part vocal blend that turned out hit songs that sold millions of albums and were imitated throughout the ’70s.

Moreover, with its emphasis on singing and songwriting above all else, it contributed to the evolution of the singer-songwriter movement during that era.

Born out of famous groups that placed a premium on harmony, Crosby, Stills & Nash boasted impressive individual credentials before its three members came together in 1969: Crosby sang and played rhythm guitar with The Byrds, Stills was a mainstay of Buffalo Springfield, while Nash provided the high harmonies that helped make pop sensation of The Hollies.

Stills and Crosby began writing songs together in 1968 after Buffalo Springfield broke up (The Byrds already split up a year earlier) until they were joined soon thereafter by Nash who had just quit The Hollies.  The trio performed together for the first time at the Los Angeles home of Cass Elliot of the Mamas and Papas.

The three made an instant impact on the music industry in 1968 by helping steer rock to a more contemplative, song-oriented place with its classic debut album simply titled, Crosby, Stills & Nash early in the summer of 1969, a few months before the Woodstock Festival, where it played its first-ever concert as a trio.

The album quickly attained the stature of a mega-hit as it yielded such classics as Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Wooden Ships and Long Time Gone. It was followed a year later by Déjà vu, a more eclectic and electric endeavor brought about by the addition of the rhythm section of Dallas Taylor and Greg Reeves.

In 1977, CSN went on to release an album that yielded a Top 10 hit with Nash’s Just A Song Before I Go, while Daylight Again (1982) produced another Nash-penned hit, Wasted On The Way.

While each member has pursued a solo career — with Crosby and Nash teaming up as a duo for most of the ‘70s — Crosby, Stills & Nash has increasingly become an artistic home base  for the trio.

In 1977, Crosby, Stills & Nash released the quadruple platinum, CSN which included Just A Song Before I Go (No. 7, 1977), followed the following summer by a tour as an acoustic trio.

In 1982, it released Daylight Again, for which Stills wrote most of the songs, and toured arenas once more. Daylight Again became a Top 10 LP and boasted two Top 20 singles: Wasted On The Way (No. 9) and Southern Cross (No. 18). In 1989, Crosby, Stills and Nash reconvened as a trio for ’90s Live It Up (No. 58).

David, Stephen and Graham have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice — first with CSN and later with The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and The Hollies, respectively.

They have also been inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in recognition of their achievements as a group with CSN and as individual members doing solo acts.

(Crosby, Stills & Nash Live In Manila! is produced by Ovation Productions. Among the media partners are The Philippine STAR, Manila Bulletin, BusinessWorld and Retro 105.9 DCG FM. Tickets are available at all Ticketnet outlets and online at www.ticketnet.com.ph.)