A distinguished venue for an icon of songwriting last night as Graham Nash returned to Manchester, a place that he holds dearly and performed to a delighted audience. Bridgewater Hall is one of the venues in our city that always impresses, from the sound quality to the subtle lighting, making it an ideal place to see a songwriter of this calibre.
Nash arrived on stage to a warm welcome, took a seat and then took us on a journey with tales of his outstanding career in music. Known for being part of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and of course The Hollies, the evening was dedicated to some of his most memorable work.
Kicking off the evening with ‘Wasted on the Way’ and followed up with some more from Crosby, Stills and Nash including ‘Marrakesh Express’, track five of the evening was The Hollies ‘Look Through Any Window’. Nash’s voice sounded wonderful, accompanied by a small band, his vocals reverberated through the venue and it is clear that he is not ready to slow down yet.
At one point Nash commented on the blue lighting, drawing comparison so two pensioners he once met many years ago who had blue hair, the lighting was making Nash’s hair appear blue. He then made a wry observation about the smoke on stage, making another comparison to earlier days backstage and leading to laughter from the audience.
Another personal highlight was the track ‘Better Days’ This upbeat number was well received by the audience who were also captivated by Nash’s storytelling between songs, his wry humour endearing the crowd to him with his humble and humorous tales of life in the music industry over the years.
The remainder of the set was all about Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and we were treated to a four track encore which featured another personal favourite ‘Teach Your Children’. It was great to hear a nod to another icon with a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Woodstock’ before ending the evening with ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’, which was worth waiting for and Nash’s voice seemed to become more powerful as the final song played out across the venue.
A marvellous evening in a gorgeous setting and a gig that will no doubt stay with many long after Nash departed the stage.
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