Last Night: Stephen Stills at The Showbox
Posted July 7, 2007 at 8:26 am by Chris Kornelis
Click the photo for a slideshow from the concert. All photos by Chris Kornelis.
Stephen Stills
July 6
The Showbox
Better Than: Listening to Neil Young's "Living With War"
Stephen Stills is toeing a very fine line.
On one hand, he's a great songwriter. Among the best I've heard that survived the '60s. He proved it Friday night as he ran through catalog favorites like "Change Partners" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." But he's also something of a nostalgia act, or, as much as any other act three decades past its prime that draws a collective groan at a whiff of "new material." That's not what the boomers dusted off their tie dyes for. They came to sip tall Pabst, and whisper along to the tunes that made high school bearable.
Less important than the fact that Stills' Red-smoked throat doesn't conjure the same harmony-inducing ecstasy than it did with Buffalo Springfield or CSN, but that he was sending grins to those living for the weekend.
I was easily the youngest person in the room (OK, by brother was younger), and it didn't go down without some appropriate ribbing. I got lots of, "Don't take our picture, or our parents will see us," kinds of remarks. And though Stills was intent on pitching his new record a bit, even he understood that he was there to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Summer of Love with his long-time fan base.
Personal Bias: "Stephen Stills," and "Stephen Stills II" are in high rotation on my turntable.
Random Incident: I ran into my friend Jack, of Jack's Fish in the Pike Place Market, at the show. He's got at least one record under his belt, and told me he's about to make a comeback "in a big way." I'm going to swing by the fish bar for a snack next week and fill y'all in on the details.
Topics: The Morning After
Comments
Hi Chris
Posted July 8, 2007 at 3:07 pm by JoeI don't know if you hung out after the show by the busses (just a few old folk there). the keyboard guy was out there talking to anyone who wanted to say hi. I was there and via Stephen Still's assistant, I got an SS autograph on my martin guitar - I would REALLY appreciate it if you could send the larger image files of stephen and also the billboard to my email addr, thanks a ton 4 your generosity. joe
chris kornelis might want to try using spellcheck next time...
Posted July 10, 2007 at 4:03 pm by boffo mulcahyYou call that a review, is that all his greatness and skill deserves. Saw him in Santa Cruz last night and the man just rocked the house with Joe Vitali on drums and Kenny Passereli on bass ( great version of Rocky Mtn Way). After a beautifull acoustic set the man just let rip and they were having fun. One highlite was the "Isn't it about time" just ripped. Yes his voice lacked in places but he was honest and funny with it, the man was happy, great humour and gave the audience a great show, people left hot, sweaty and happy and this crowed enjoyed the new material. What I loved about the show most was not one song sounded like it was straight of the album, he had arranged the songs into slow blues rockers, rip roaring guitar solos and the finess rock of the Dark Star rendition. A Great Show from a great artist. Stuart.
Posted July 11, 2007 at 7:09 am by STUART DICKSONit's so easy to write a reveiw of anyone older then the reveiwer....could have missed the show and wrote that one....i thought reveiws were supposed to be about the music not the personal bias of the reviewer....he did get the required amount of snarkiness to fit in the weekly
Posted July 11, 2007 at 2:14 pm by jackYes, it was great to hear some of the oldies resurrected with interesting arrangements. My favorite was the intro that exuded "Satisfaction", but transformed into "Woodstock". A bit sloppy at times, but a whole lotta of soul.
Posted July 11, 2007 at 2:32 pm by Michael BartonA little more about Stephen Stills' performance — and a little less navel-gazing from the reviewer — would have been very nice!
Posted July 11, 2007 at 2:40 pm by Steve ElliottSomeone should have told that nobody ever went to see Steve Stills because of his voice. Granted, it is unique and it ain't what it used to be, but I'm confindent that most of us who call ourselves Stills fans do so because of his virtoustic guitar playing. He can still rip out Black Queen on a Martin with gusto and pinache, and it would have been nice if the review had made at least some comment about what has always been the main attraction at a Stills concert, the guitar playing. It is always interesting to hear what today's kids think after hearing a live performance by a living legend such as Stills, and I'm really glad Chris did his homework by listening to the 1st two solos, but perhaps he should have talked to a few more "boomers" about why they were there. The comment about being a nostalgia act was not only inaccurate, it was offensive. Bluesmen don't fade away like the pop acts Chris seems to be confusing Stills with, they get better with age. As long as his fingers can fly across a fretboard, Stills fans will go to his shows. And not to hear Love the One You're With or Change Partners, neither of which do I ever need to hear again.
Posted July 12, 2007 at 8:20 am by Eric Berger