Concert Review: Graham Nash (Martin Marietta Center)

BY MARK DOLEJS

Rock legend Graham Nash and his band brought their More Evenings of Songs & Stories tour to Raleigh at the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts. The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer rocked a packed house on Wednesday night.

The night started strong with “Wasted on the Way” and “Marrakesh Express,” both hits originally done by Crosby, Stills & Nash. Throughout the show, Nash mixed his own solo hits with songs originally done with bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young.

Next up was “Military Madness,” a song he wrote about his dad being in the military during World War II. In introducing the song, he commented about there being so many more wars going on now in the world compared to when he wrote the song. He also modernized the song with some lyrics regarding Donald Trump added in.

Nash’s love life and relationships through the years is the motivation for many of his songs including “Love of Mine,” “I Used to be King,” and “Better Days.” He said that “Better Days” was written for his girlfriend at the time, Rita Coolidge, who helped him with the piano part of the song.

Nash was joined on stage by his band, including Todd Caldwell on keyboards and vocals, and Zach Djanikian on guitar, mandolin, drums, and vocals. Rounding out the band was Adam Minkoff on bass, drums, guitar, and vocals. The band was super talented and complimented Nash very well.

“I want to be here singing for you,” Nash explained early on in the night, “I want to have the same passion as when I wrote these songs.” At 83-years-old, it is really nice to see him on stage enjoying life as he shares that passion with all of us.

With several of the songs, the crowd sang along as if they had been singing the lyrics since the songs were originally released. They really got into “Bus Stop,” Stephen Stills’s “Love The One You’re With,” and “Our House.” During “Our House,” I got chills as the band stopped playing in order to hear the crowd singing during the chorus.

My favorites of the night were “Teach Your Children” and “Ohio.” Both of these songs have been in my playlists for a very long time. It was a night of songs and stories, magical in so many ways.

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MARK DOLEJS

Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

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