Graham Nash surprised fans this week by making a surprise appearance at a tribute concert for Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Find footage of the moment below.
The moment took place on Monday night (May 13) as the music of the iconic trio was celebrated with a tribute concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Various artists including Todd Rundgren, Steve Earle, Yola, Iron & Wine, Real Estate, and more were enlisted to perform at the event, and each broke out renditions of the group’s most iconic tracks in the name of charity.
It was held as the 19th edition of Michael Dorf’s annual Music Of charity show, which has raised over $2million (£1.6m) for music education and previously honoured iconic names in rock such as Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Prince, and Paul McCartney.
David Crosby died in January 2023, and neither of the surviving members of the trio, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, were set to perform on the night. However, the latter surprised fans by coming onto the stage at the end of the night and performing two of his tracks.
“Let’s give a big round of applause to the 20 incredible artists that performed tonight. I want to thank Michael [Dorf] and everybody at City Winery for putting this show on,” he said upon entering the stage (via Rolling Stone).
“My only sadness is that I wish [David] Crosby was here. I want to thank Michelle Willis [vocals, keyboard], Adam Minkoff [vocals, bass], and my dear friend who put this whole thing together, Mr. Todd Caldwell.”
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Taking to the stage, he performed a moving rendition of ‘Our House’ – the beloved song he wrote while living with folk icon and former romantic partner Joni Mitchell. He then stuck around for a final sing-along with every guest who performed on the night, delivering a performance of the Stills’ 1970 favourite, ‘Love The One You’re With’.
Check out footage of the performances below.
Other highlights of the night included Todd Rundgren putting his own spin on the track ‘Almost Cut My Hair’, and Yola delivering a moving performance of ‘Wooden Ships’. Grace Potter also attended and later took on two tracks, starting with ‘Helplessly Hoping’, before inviting Leslie Mendelson and Sammy Rae for ‘Woodstock’.
Steve Earle shared a cover of ‘4+20’, and used the set to share his fondness for the musical trio.
“‘Crosby, Stills and Nash’ and ‘Déjà Vu’ came out so close together,” he said. “I remember at my girlfriend’s house, I had them stacked together along with ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘Let It Bleed’, and ‘Led Zeppelin II’. And I’ve been lucky that whenever I’ve met my heroes, only two of them were assholes.
“None of them were in this band. I want to play a song I’ve been doing since I was 14 years old. I think I can finally play it right.”
The night was strictly a tribute to Crosby, Stills and Nash, so no songs were played from the time that they worked alongside Neil Young. This was in part because Music Cares had already held a tribute to the singer-songwriter in 2011.
Later this year, Graham Nash is set to return to Carnegie Hall for a full set. This will be held on October 1 and come as one of the dates on his upcoming US headline tour. Visit here to find remaining tickets.
In other news about the music icon, it was reported last October that Nash had sold the rights to his back catalogue to Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group for an undisclosed sum. The deal included songs from his solo career, as well as his time in The Hollies and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Earlier in 2023, he paid tribute to his former collaborator David Crosby who died that January. Speaking to AARP, Nash opened up about his relationship with the artist and revealed that the two of them “were getting a little closer at the end”.
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