An Evening Spent at Strathmore with Crosby, Nash

A casually clad David Crosby and a barefoot Graham Nash took the stage, which was decorated in tapestries, rugs, candles and exuded a comfortable living-room atmosphere that set the tone for the performance.

The duo welcomed the applauding audience at the Strathmore by mentioning that a lot of crazy stuff is going on in the world, but "tonight you're among friends." Supported by a backing band with a reputable resume, including keyboardist James Raymond, drummer Steve DiStanislao, Dean Parks on guitar and bassist Kevin McCormick, Crosby and Nash serenaded their friends. Throughout the show, they introduced songs by discussing relative social/political situations.

Crosby mentioned a contest for a sign for the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste site in Nevada, which inspired the song written by Raymond (who is also his son). "Don't Dig Here" "is incredibly relevant to what's happening in Japan," Nash continued.

Nash introduced "In Your Name" by saying how sad it is that every year millions are killed in the name of religion. This theme was also relevant in the song "Cathedral," which the duo performed later in the set. Nash sang, "So many people have died in the name of Christ / That I can't believe it all."

Though the set was heavy with somewhat political messages, room was left for light-heartedness and joking. After Crosby played his new song, "Slice of Time," Nash teased that Crosby was happy because he successfully made it through the song. A smiling Crosby replied, "Truthfully, you really don't know how much fun we have."

The playful banter goes to show that Crosby and Nash's 40-plus years of performing with one another has created an indescribable chemistry that engages the crowd. Whether playing 70s-era fan favorites such as "Our House" and "Deja Vu" or newer songs, the crowd continuously clapped, gave scattered standing ovations and even a few people randomly broke out in dance.

Crosby and Nash performed for roughly three hours with a brief intermission. The night ended after a double fake out, with "Teach Your Children" and "Chicago" as encores, and the crowd stayed through it all.