Today In Mets History: 1969- Seaver Wins 19th at Candelstick Park

August 31, 1969: Tom Seaver was Tom Terrific again tonight as he won his 19th of the season and the Mets coasted to an 8-0 victory at Candelstick Park. Seaver had some trouble early on; in the 2nd Willie McCovey tripled down the line, he walked Bobby Bonds & he stole second. Seaver bore down and struck out Dave Marshall & Jack Hiatt (looking) then got Hal Lanier to pop out.

In the 3rd Ken Henderson singled, then Seaver pelted Ron Hunt in the helmet and knocked him out of the game, he walked another but got out of it without any damage retiring Bonds on a fly ball.

The Mets broke out in the 4th inning, with the bases loaded Ron Swoboda doubled home two runs, Jerry Grote & Tom Seaver singled home three more. Later in the Met 5th, a walk, an error & single led to Al Weiss' bases loaded single scoring two runs & a Bud Harrelson single scoring another.

The Mets rolled along, but there was some drama in the 7th as Giants pitcher hit Seaver in the arm, retaliation for plunking Hunt earlier. All part of the real game in 1969 my friends. Seaver finished the complete game shutout striking out 11 for win #19 and putting the Mets 4 1/2 games behind the Cubs.

Anniversary of the Beatles Last Concert (1966) Candelstick Park

August 29th, 1966: It had been an exhausting madhouse for the Beatles 1966 Tour. On stage they couldn't hear themselves play, the technology of the day wasn't able to re-create the advancements they were making in the studio. As they were recording Revolver & the next project Sgt. Pepper on stage they were still doing basic songs like Rock & Roll Music. They wanted to focus their time on making music that would take rock & Roll to the next level.

1966 was a rough one for them, Lennon made his "more popular than Jesus comments" and the American South began Beatles boycotts, the KKK threatened then, & there were other death threats. They had just escaped the incident in Manila were the Marcos family turned the whole country against them, again they escaped with their lives in jeopardy.

Besides all that, the Touring was getting to stressful. There were no days off, no privacy. Their plane would fly into a city and the mania began. It was the sixties, riots, demonstrations, unrest and then the Beatles arrived in the middle of it all. They physically & mentally needed a break. They agreed this tour would be their last, maybe not for ever but for a long while. Paul was the last to agree but the decision was made.

The last gig on the 1966 Tour was Candlestick Park, in San Francisco. The night before they gave their last press conference as a touring act in Los Angeles. They did the press gig at the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, with pal David Crosby by their side. Then they went and played Dodger Stadium, a pretty new stadium at the time.

They arrived in San Francisco to a bunch of stone faced police man and were shuffled onto the tour bus. When they arrived at the Stadium, the gates were locked. More madness. The crowds noticed them and chased the bus. The driver had to circle the parking lot and leave the grounds to avoid the fans. It was a scene right of A Hard Days Night, but it wasn't funny anymore. They arrived 20 minutes later into the open gates.

San Francisco treated the Beatles well. This was one of the safest places for them to end the tour. The music & art of Haight Ashbury was beginning to blossom into the pop culture world. Backstage was quiet, Brian Epstein knew it was the last gig and couldn't bring himself to attend. The Beatles ate dinner and entertained some friends & the press. Joan Baez & her sister visited the boys as well.

The opening acts took the stage at 8 PM. The Remains, The Cyrkle (Red Rubber Ball) then the Ronettes (minus Ronnie Spector, Phil wouldn't allow her on the tour.) Next the Beatles walked out at 930 PM in flowered shirts and dark green suits carrying their own instruments. They waved opened the show with Rock & Roll Music.

The driver of the armoured car was told to leave the engine on just in case a quick get away was needed. Twice guys tried to rush the stage , once during Baby's In Black & once during I Wanna Be Your Man. There was the occasional girl jumping on the field throughout the show.

THE SET LIST:

Rock & Roll Music

She's A Woman

If I Needed Someone

Day Tripper

Baby's In Black

I Feel Fine

Yesterday

I Wanna Be Your Man

Nowhere Man

Paperback Writer

Long Tall Sally

____________

As the show ended John Lennon

strummed the opening to In My Life

and they dashed off into the armoured car and drove off. The Crowd flashed its cameras & screamed. Off into the sunset the Beatles Concert days were over. They were relieved, the weight of the world off their shoulders. As George said "Its all over, I can stop pretending to be a Beatle now, people."

centerfieldmaz at the 1969 Mets Reunion & Autograph Show

It was an "Amazing" day at the Huntington Hilton on Long Island, for the 1969 Mets Autograph Reunion show. The line up was incredible: Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman, Cleon Jones, Ron Swoboda, Bud Harrelson, Gary Gentry, Jerry Grote, Al Weis, Wayne Garrett, Ed Kranepool, Ed Charles, Ron Taylor, Rod Gaspar, Jim McAndrew, Duffy Dyer, Bobby Pfeil, coaches Joe Pignatano, Eddie Yost & special guest Dwight Gooden.

Centerfieldmaz was there taking pictures, getting autographs and of course buying old baseball cards. (I added nicely to my collection of pre '69 Mets.)

I couldn't get to everyone, so I pretty much went with the players I haven't met in the past. I did miss out on Garrett & Dyer who appeared before 11 AM. While mingling in the hallway I got to greet Seaver & Gooden on their entrances, I also got a hand shake & quick conversation from a pure gentleman; The Glider- Ed Charles. As he exited, Charles was thanking the fans for coming.

All the players were really pleasant and friendly, considering what a crowded mad house it was. The longest lines were for Nolan Ryan & Tom Seaver. What do you say to Tom Seaver? All I could say is thanks for all the great memories and making us a winner, he thanked me back! He was relaxed & willing to sign & take photos while making a little conversation.

I asked Ron Swoboda about his catch in Game #4 of the 1969 Series, he said he didn't know he was going to catch it, until after he dove and it hit the webbing of his glove, then he knew he had it. He said he was going to go for it all the way. He was just happy he did it in the World Series.
http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2009/06/former-met-of-day-ron-swoboda-1965-1970.html

I asked Jerry Koosman when the Mets were going to retire his number? Telling him, centerfieldmaz has e-mailed the Mets with that request and got no reply. He said "the Mets didn't answer hunh, with a smile." What a clutch pitcher he was in the big games! I thanked him for all the thrills he pitched as well.

Cleon Jones was really kool, I asked him to sign a glove I have with a bunch of all time Mets signatures. I asked him to sign right next to his old pal Tommie Agee's signature, he did & smiled. He got up to accommodate me taking a few photos. I told him he was one of the best outfielders the Mets ever had & deserves more credit than he gets. He sincerely thanked me.

http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2009/08/former-met-of-day-cleon-jones-1963-1975.html

I told Al Weiss how do you manage to hit the biggest HR of your career to tie the last game of the World Series? Especially when you only hit seven in a ten year career? He said it just worked out at the right time. I also asked about the two he hit in the regular season, both in a key games. He quickly recalled they both came in July at Wrigley Field during the race with the Cubs.

http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2009/04/former-met-of-day-al-weis-improbable.html

Gary Gentry made a rare appearance,

and I must say, I haven't seen him in pictures or anywhere since the mid seventies when he was in Atlanta. He looks good, but he's no longer the young kid of '69. He is defiantly a fun guy and was having a great time. He drew long lines since its rare to see him.

http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2009/05/gary-gentry-tosses-two-career-one.html

I got to chat with Joe "Piggy" Pignatano, one of my favorite coaches of all time. The Italian American Brooklyn native, was all smiles & jokes, happy to take a few pictures with me and talk about his tomato plants in the bullpen. Yea he still lives in Brooklyn & goes to Cyclones games.
http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2009/08/former-met-of-day-joe-piggy-pignatano.html

Last but not least, there was Doc Gooden. Who signed an 8 x 10 "Doc Gooden - be cool". How great is that? I told him how I use to go to all the games he pitched in 1984-1986, and what a thrill it was to watch him pitch and bring us to the top again. He thanked me, was very humble & appreciative. He seemed very happy to pose for pictures too.

The Hilton was definatley not prepared for the huge turn out. The lines were long and unorderly until you actually got up front past the security & the ropes. Problem was all the players were in the same area across the back so it was a madhouse anywhere in the vicinity. The dealer tables should have been arranged differently and a bigger venue should have been use overall.

What a great afternoon, with alot of great memories. Its hard to believe its 40 years since those miracle Mets, the first team to go from worst to first. As Bud Harrelson said any underdog team that wins,or comes from last to first is always compared to the '69 Mets.

If only todays Mets could learn from the '69 team! Friday night Citi Field honored the Mets in a brief pregame ceromony. Bringing out most of the same lineup that was at todays show, plus a few others. The ceromonial first pitch was thrown out by The Big Three; Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, & Nolan Ryan. Yea, even Ryan came back for this celebration, it was his first return to a Mets event since 1972.

http://www.centerfieldmaz.com/2009/03/nolan-ryans-mets-years-1966-1971-start.html

Concert Review: The Moody Blues - Radio City Music Hall 8/20/09

Of all the venues in the New York area, there is no place like Radio City Music Hall. Comfortable padded seats, leg room, full bar and the best sound on earth. Last night inside from the summer heat of midtown was a great concert by the Moody Blues. The crowd is a mix of original fans, second & third generation fans. A pretty mellow show, some of the early classics bring the crowd to a standing ovation. The second set builds up and by Just A Singer in a Rock & Roll Band, the crowd is on their feet cheering & dancing right through the end. The sing along during Questions is definatley one of the highlights, as is Tuesday Afternoon, Just A Singer & Ride My See Saw. But Nights In White Satin is one of the best concert songs you'll ever see anyone do!

It was my second Moody Blues show and again they do not disappoint. Their blend of symphonic, psychedelia, classical rock & roll is done to perfection on stage with a seven piece band. The band has sold well over 70 million albums world wide, received 14 gold & platinum discs, and remain one of the most successful touring bands in the business. You have to see them to really appreciate them, and then you realize what a great library of music they have. A staple of the classic rock radio era, when I was growing up, the Moodies songs bring me back to many different periods of life, with their music as a soundtrack to so many events. I will never forget borrowing my Uncle Mikes Days of Future Passed album, and hanging out in Ben's basement partying and drifting away into the music.

Justin Hayward's voice still sounds the way he did on the albums. He sings most of the lead vocals except on songs he didn't write. He is a muti talented musician/ vocalist/ song writer. Hayward is a great guitar player carrying the Moodies through the show, mostly on his own with great rhythm & lead guitar work. He did the 1st set wearing a denim vest looking very casual with semi long blondish hair with a tint of grey to it. Hayward has aged well, and pretty much has the same face & body weight he's always had. He joined the Moody Blues in 1966 after Denny Laine (of Wings) departed and changed the band into the a more commercial yet classical rock style. The release of Days of Future Passed in 1967 was one of the first symphonic/ rock concept albums. Certainly a masterpiece. Hayward has written many Moodies classics; Nights In White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, Questions, The Voice, Wildest Dreams, Story In Your Eyes, & Never Comes the Day.

John Lodge can also still sing like he did on the albums, not only was his bass playing the backbone to the Moody Blues sound, he also played some acoustic guitar, and an amazing instrument that was a double neck bass/guitar combination. I never saw that before. Lodge is a member of the Moodies since 1966, joining just before Hayward. He has penned some of their biggest tunes; Ride My See Saw. Just A Singer in a Rock & Roll Band, Slide Zone, & Gemini Dream. He is a very Christian man and has been married to his wife since 1968, they have 2 kids.

Graeme Edge is the lead drummer (of which now there are two on stage) and one of the founding members of the band. Graeme comes out from his kit and talked about the 40th anniversary of men landing on the moon & Woodstock. He then does a great percussion march across the stage during his rendition of Higher & Higher, as he recites his lyrics while the band jams behind him. He also recites his composition Late Lament which he penned off the great Days of Future Passed album. Edge has written much of the poetry found on most of the Moodies classic albums. He now resides on Florida's Gulf Coast with his girlfriend.

The Moody Blues played about a 2 hour 20 minute set with an intermission in between. The original three are accompanied by a second drummer/percussionist, Gordon Marshall (since 1991) two keyboard players, responsible for the orchestration & sound effects, Paul Bliss ( since 1991) & Bernie Barlow. Then last and certainly the most important member besides the original three; Nordra Mullen, a very talented female vocalist/musician, who played the flute, acoustic guitar, tambourine & some beautiful vocals.

MOODY BLUES Set List: 8/20/09- Radio City Music Hall

The Voice

The Day We Meet Again
Stepping In A Slide Zone
Gypsy

The Afternoon (Tuesday Afternoon)

Lean on Me Tonight

Never Comes the Day

Peak Hour

I Know Your Out There

---(intermission)---

Wildest Dreams

Isn't Life Strange

The Other Side of Life

Driftwood

Higher & Higher

Are You Sitting Comfortably

I'm Just A Singer In A Rock & Roll Band
Late Lament

Nights In White Satin

Questions

encore: Ride My See Saw

Today In Mets History: 1987- Mets Rap Out a Club Record 23 Runs

August 16, 1987: The wind is blowing out today at Wrigley Field. The Mets score a club record 23 runs beating the Cubbies 23-10. Yes Mets vs. Cubs, not Giants vs. Bears.

The Mets scored three runs in five different innings, plus had a seven run sixth inning. They knocked out 21 hits, including HRs by Darryl Strawberrry (29th) Howard Johnson (28th) & Len Dykstra (9th). Strawberry also had a triple, double, & walk, with four hits overall, driving in five runs and scoring five runs. Hojo & Dykstra, who also had four hits, both drove in three runs. A a matter of fact everyone in the starting line up had at least one RBI except Rafael Santana.

Ron Darling got the win, despite giving up 5 runs, on only 4 hits in six innings. Jesse Orosco did worse, giving up 4 runs in one inning. The losing pitcher was Greg Maddox, he allowed 7 runs before the 4th inning. But a Cub pitcher named Drew Hall really got roughed up. He gave up 10 runs in only one inning pitched, balooning his ERA above nine.

Looking Back at the 1900 New York Giants Baseball Club

In honor of the Mets wearing 1900 NY Giants uniforms, here's a look back at that team:
The turn of the century NY Giants were not yet the Championship Dynasty they would become during the decade. In 1900 they were an an 8th place team, with some colorful characters & legendary players, forgotten in time. John McGraw wouldn't arrive as manager until late in the 1902 season. In 1900 Buck Ewing started the season as manager. He was considered the greatest catcher of his time and is a member of the Hall of Fame, but after a 21-41 start as manager he was fired. His replacement was George Davis who improved the team to play just above .500 (39-37). In 1901 he was fired after going 52-85 & finishing in seventh place. Davis was a good clean player, unlike most of his time. In April of 1900 Davis & team mates Kid Gleason & Mike Grady stumbled upon a raging tenement building fire. They ran into the burning building, Davis rescued two women and a child from the blaze. Afterward he humbly said, "I didn't do much. I just went up the ladder the same as the rest of the boys and helped to carry down women and children." His face was blistered from the heat, but he played in that nights game anyway.

The 1900 pitching staff had a young rookie named Christy Mathewson who would go on to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time. (373 wins 3rd All Time- 2.13 ERA 8th all time) But in his first season he was 0-3 pitching in only six games, giving up 32 runs in 33 innings, with a 5.08 ERA. The ace of the staff was Bill Carrick who won 19 games, the problem was he lost 22 games. He pitched an incredible 341 innings pitched, giving up 415 hits while only walking 92 batters (3.53 ERA). The #2 man had a great name, Pink Hawley. He went 18-18, leading the league with 34 complete games. Four years earlier in 1895 he pitched a league leading 444 innings.

Win Mercer was a handsome young bachelor who was very popular with the ladies. He was third in the rotation going 13-17, with a 3.86 ERA. He still holds the record for most stolen bases by a pitcher in a single season with nine. Mercer is 77th all time with 251 complete games. In the early days of the twentieth century, the Polo Grounds had specific day games for women called Ladies Days. In 1897 the popular ladies man Mercer, was ejected from a Ladies Day game. The women were furious, many of them had come just to see him play. A mob of ladies swarmed onto the field and began to beat the umpire. His clothes were ripped & he fell to the ground. The police had to break it up. It's whats known as The Ladies Day Riot of 1897. Sadly Mercer committed suicide two years later in San Francisco. Reports differ, some say he owed alot of gambling debts, he could never pay back, others say it was due to a woman.

Another legend from the '00 squad was a deaf rookie pitcher named Dummy Taylor. Taylor who couldn't speak is credited for starting the use of signals to communicate with team mates on the field. Dummy led the league with 27 losses in 1901, but would have 3 straight 16 plus win seasons from 1904-1907. In 1904 he was 21-15, third behind Mathewson & Iron Joe McGinnity who both won over 30 games for the champion Giants. Taylor was 116-106 lifetime with a 2.75 ERA. After baseball he went on to teach deaf education in Kansas, living until 82 years of age.

1900 was the so called Dead Ball Era, the Giants leader in HRs was Charlie 'Piano Legs" Hickman who hit nine. Most of Piano Legs' HRs were inside the parkers, he also led the team with 91 RBIs and hit 91 career triples. With so few HRs, running was a big part of the game back then. The Giants' thick mustached George Van Haltren, led the league with 45 stolen bases. Every starter on the team had at least 10 steals with five of them stealing over 20.

The '00 Giants had four .300 hitters led by right fielder Kip Selbach who posted career-highs with a .337 average, & 176 hits. He also scored 98 runs & stole 36 bases.

Dirty Jack Doyle, was teams Captain. In'00 he stole 34 bases, batting .267 driving in 66 runs. Doyle was an Irish immigrant who attended nearby Fordham University. Known as Dirty Jack, because he fought with everyone; umpires, fans, team mates & epically with John McGraw. He & McGraw were teammates in Baltimore, and they hated each other. When McGraw was named manager in 1902, he cut Doyle, even though he was hitting over .300. Dirty Jack once slugged an ump who called him out on a stolen base attempt. A riot broke out as fans jumped onto the field and joined in. The police had to intervene & arrested Doyle. Another incident occurred at the Polo Grounds in 1900 when a fan was harassing him. He jumped into the stands and beat him up re injuring his hand. Strangely after baseball Doyle becamee a Police Captain in Holyoke Mass., a baseball umpire (1911) and a highly respected scout for the Cubs.

The Giants second baseman was Kid Gleason, from Camden, New Jersey. He only hit .248, but went down in history as manager of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox, who were accused of throwing the World Series.
Quite a cast of characters indeed, oh the Giants of yester year.

Concert Review: Steely Dan (The Royal Scam Performance) New York City- 8/10/09

Steely Dan are winding down their eight sold out nights at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan. Each night had a different theme, playing three different albums in their entirety on specific nights. Last night I got to see them perform my favorite Steely Dan album: The Royal Scam.

The album was released in 1976, went gold and peaked at #15 on the album charts. It was the prelude to the smash Aja the following year. The Royal Scam was a more heavier rock album with some of Steely Dan's best guitar work. It contained the classics Kid Charlemagne, Green Earrings, Haitian Divorce & the title track to name a few. The cover featured a homeless man sleeping below skyscrapers with snake & monster heads. Very Gothic, and different from most Steely Dan art work.

As usual Steely Dan were right on target sounding like a well organized machine of music. They play perfectly note for note, with everything in synch. They band features a four piece horn section, a fantastic drummer;Keith Carlock (03-09), keyboardist Jim Beard (08-09), bass player Freddie Washington (06-09), & the great guitar work of longtime member Jon Harrington (00-09).

They are backed by three female singers who help accompany Donald Fagen's vocals and do a fantastic job on the all those great classic Steely Dan female vocals. They even get to do the lead singing on The Fez & a Supremes tune. They are led by the beautiful Carolyn Leonhard Escoffery who has been singing with the Dan since 2000, she also appears on their albums Two Against Nature & Everything Must Go.

As for Steely Dan; Walter Becker & Donald Fagen have been together since their days at Bard college in the late sixties. They became the core of a band that employed some of the best studio jazz & rock musicians in the business throughout the seventies making a string of successful classic albums. All without touring. They disbanded in 1981 and worked on each others various solo projects, and decided to tour again in 1993. Since then they always seem to be on the road and their favorite stop seems to be the Beacon Theater when in New York City. The venue does work well, for them as they just get up there and play. Our seats were in the balcony but right on top of the stage and the sound was pretty good up there as well.

Donald Fagen sang most of the lead vocals while sitting at the piano with his sunglasses on, doing his thing. He rarely got up and didn't juggle around playing all the different instruments I have seen him play on previous tours. I thought his vocals were exceptionally good, especially on My Old School, Josie & Peg. He is an incredible musician, more of a maestro leading this fantastic music ensemble. He has a vocal style different than anyone else with peculiar yet educated lyrics that make him who he is.

Walter Becker also laid back, casual and cool, looks as if he is a scientist who just walked in off the Upper West Side. But when he straps on the guitar, he plays incredible clean, crisp, guitar leads and looks like he's doing it with such ease.

The crowd loved it as ovations & cheers broke out through out the night from the rafters of the Theater. By the way the old theater has been renovated and cleaned up making it a real nice venue. The AC worked well too, a few summers ago on a similar humid eve, it didn't.

I think we got a great set list, basically the Royal Scam & most of the Aja album with some other classics mixed in.

My Old School had them dancing in the aisles as did the encores. I really haven't followed the set lists for this tour but tonight we got treated to an old classic that Steel Dan rarely does live; Reeling In the Years. It was a surprise & the first time I saw them do it in over a dozen Dan shows I have been to through the years.

_____________________________________________

Steely Dan NYC Beacon Theater -"THE ROYAL SCAM SHOW" Set List: 8/10/09

KID CHARLEMAGNE

THE CAVES OF ALTAMIRA

DON'T TAKE ME ALIVE

SIGN IN STRANGER

THE FEZ

GREEN EARRINGS

HAITIAN DIVORCE

EVERYTHING YOU DID

THE ROYAL SCAM

HEY NINTEEN

DADDY DONT LIVE IN NYC ANYMORE (Becker vocals)

AJA

BLACK FRIDAY

HOME AT LAST

PARKERS BAND

Walter Becker does band intros -(Ladies sing the Supremes Love Is Like Itchin In My Heart)

THIRD WORLD MAN

JOSIE

MY OLD SCHOOL

PEG

REELING IN THE YEARS

Concert Review: Crosby Stills & Nash at Jones Beach (Saturday August 8th, 2009)

Crosby Stills & Nash are true veteran rockers from the sixties hey day. David Crosby the once handsome rock star with the long hair & frilly brown leather jackets was a founder of Los Angeles' group the Byrds. Steven Stills came from the Buffalo Springfield and the Englishman Graham Nash from the Hollies. After each had left their original groups they were all hanging out together in the Laurel Canyon section of Los Angeles. At a party thrown by Cass Elliot the three got together and sang a new Stills song "You Don't Have To Cry". The room stopped at the beautiful harmonies the three voices made, and everyone knew a group had to be formed. The released an album and went on tour in the Summer of '69. The second gig they played was Woodstock in Bethel, New York and they went on to become legends. On the 40th anniversary of Woodstock they are on Tour in the Summer of '09, true survivors of their own demons, dependencies, & rock & roll. Last nights stop was at the Jones Beach Theater. We had great seats, 8th row just off to the left center of the stage.

It was one of the closest nights to the sixties you could ever get. 1 week shy of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock & CSN didn't even mention it. But we all knew it. Graham Nash said "We've been doing this for 40 years, and we still like each other" the crowd cheered, he then added "Except for you' to Steven Stills and they laughed. CSN put on one hell of a show last night at the Jones Beach Theater.

Steven Stills doesn't have the voice he use to, but he can still carry a tune especially when Crosby & Nash join in. Stills who I always though had one of the sweetest voices in Rock & Roll still does it good enough but he seems to struggle at it. He makes up for it playing a phenomenal lead guitar on most songs during the concert. AOn the acoustic songs he sometimes carried the band playing the only guitar behind the beautiful harmonies. He even played the bass. At times it seems even Graham Nash was amazed at Stills playing. He got standing ovations a few times during the evening.

Graham Nash is ever the suave singer. He puts all his efforts into his singing, and his voice is still great. Nash is at center stage and seems to lead most of the tunes, he played some acoustic guitar & electric piano on Our House & Cathedral. Even on songs Crosby or Stills sang lead on, Nash voice joined in and helped make the tune.

As for David Crosby he is still the man. His voice is absolutely fantastic. He can harmonize with the others sounding like a heavenly choir or he can rock out with a lead vocal of his own piercing the Oceans around Jones Beach. He seems to sing & play guitar with little effort as if it all comes so naturally with that permanent classic Crosby smirk on his face. His rhythm guitar carries most of the songs he plays on again, done with ease and a great flowing style.

Together these guys are masters and still great at what they do. Their voices together are still perfection as they were 40 years ago, when they stopped everyone in the room at Cass Elliot's party. The spirit of the sixties alive and well and its music is too. CSN see to that.

The set list was great with the exception of a a few classics they didn't play. Where was Suite Judy Blue Eyes? Other than that all was well. The first set was pretty much an acoustic set with a few cover songs, including great renditions of the Stones Ruby Tuesday & the Grateful Dead's Uncle Johns Band. Uncle Johns Band brought the crowd to its feet especially when Crosby said "I see there are alot of dead heads still around". After that Our House & Southern Cross kept the crowd on their feet leading to an intermission. Stills sounded great on Southern Cross, like he pulled a little extra out from some where.

The second set was a non stop true classic rock & roll show. More electric than the first half, featuring more sensational Stills guitar work. Interestingly the band chose not to go with any Byrd's or Hollies tunes, but gave us three Buffalo Springfield songs. Being a fan of the Springfield I thought it was great, they chose three classic Stills Springfield tunes and he rose to the occasion on each. The Springfield also had some great harmonies and Crosby & Nash only made the tunes even better. The latest release from CSN is an album called Demos, which features early demos from some of their early classics. Stills version of his own Love the One Your With opened the second set and was done more in this style. Through the Buffalo Springfield tunes and a great version of Deja Vu', Crosby brought the beach house down with his classic Almost Cut My Hair. His great voice echoed off the ocean sounding nothing short of great. If that wasn't enough the 60's classic Wooden Ships brought us back to Woodstock and a peaceful moment in time. Pure greatness. All I can say is "Carry On' guys, you were fantastic.

Crosby, Stills & Nash: August 8, 2009 Set List- Jones Beach, NY

*Helplessly Hoping

*Wasted On the Way

*Ruby Tuesday (Stones)

*You Can Close Your Eyes (James Taylor)

*The Last Thing On My Mind (Tom Paxton)

*Girl From North Country (Bob Dylan)

*Guinevere

*A Dream For You

*In Your Name

*Uncle Johns Band (Grateful Dead)

*Our House

*Southern Cross

intermission

*Love The One Your With

*Marrakesh Express

*Rock & Roll Woman (Buffalo Springfield)

*Long Time Gone

*Just A Song Before I Go

*Cathedral

*Deja' Vu'

*Blue Bird (Buffalo Springfield)

*Almost Cut My Hair

*Wooden Ships

*For What Its Worth (Buffalo Springfield)

*Teach Your Children