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| David Crosby and the Sky Trails Band June 9, 2018 Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center photo by Roy Abrams |
Alighting onto Main Street slightly past 6PM on Saturday, June 9th, was a slightly hallucinatory experience. An early Saturday evening in not-quite-spring, almost-summer in Westhampton Beach featured sunlight at just the right angle to bathe the multi-colored storefronts in glowing pastel colors. Keeping our strides at the outer edge of “relaxed”, we soon reached our destination: THE WESTHAMPTON BEACH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER … and there on the marquee were four words that foretold of an imminent event: DAVID CROSBY SOLD OUT.
This East End venue is
intimately-sized, with comfortable seats and solid acoustics, and the capacity
crowd exuded an anticipatory aura while the clock ticked ever more closely to
8:00 PM. Finally, the lights dimmed as
Crosby walked confidently onstage, accompanied by his stellar five-piece band,
and the audience whooped it up, ready for an evening replete with—as its
creator affectionately refers to as—“the weird shit.” Those already familiar
with Crosby’s recent golden era of creativity knew that they were in for a
kaleidoscopic trip of a performance, one that would witness the band extending
exploratory tentacles down the corridors of multiple genres, a feat permitted
solely due to the fusion of inherent talent of its individual members and their
telepathic intercommunication.
Not only is David Crosby
seemingly at the peak of his performing prowess (this, after more than 50 years
doing it!); consider who is joining him onstage: composer/keyboardist/singer
James Raymond, Crosby’s biological son and an integral component of much of
Crosby’s creative output since the late ‘90s, with the band CPR … a group
rounded out by the next member of the Sky Trails band, guitarist Jeff Pevar. A
musician’s musician whose instrumental technique is awe-inspiring, Pevar also
helps to round out the vocal harmony stacks which permeate so much of the
performance. On bass is the elfin Mai Leisz, providing a relentless groove
while managing to weave almost vocal-like melodies throughout the night.
Completing the rhythm section is Steve DiStanislao, a master percussionist who
can also be seen in David Gilmour’s touring band. The ensemble is completed by a
young singer/songwriter from Toronto. Michelle Willis’s voice has been described
by Crosby as sounding “like God on a good day”; to hear her sing is to know the
truth of those words.
As the opening guitar lick
of “In My Dreams” filled the hall, Crosby and crew embarked on a two-set
celebration of The Muse, whose presence was thick and almost palpable. Waves of
musical conversations merged with undercurrents running deep with harmonic
counterpoint and the seamless application of performance art, delivered by a
truly unique combination of artists. You may remember I initially referred to
“those already familiar with Crosby’s recent golden era …” Now imagine the realms
of wonderment into which the remainder of the audience was drawn!
Following up with
“Morrison,” a favorite from the first CPR album, the journey quickened and
shifted course. Next up was “Naked in the Rain,” an extraordinary deep cut from
1975’s Crosby/Nash album, Wind on the
Water. The group harmonies executed on this song were flawless, which is
saying a great deal, given their complexity. Continuing with two more CPR-era
songs, “That House” and “At the Edge” showcased the often-overlooked
instantly-identifiable sound possessed by that trio. In knockout succession,
“Guinevere,” “What Are Their Names,” Long Time Gone,” and “Déjà Vu” brought the
first set to a close. (Special mention must be given to Mai Leisz, whose bass
playing on “Guinevere” was eerily reminiscent of Jack Casady’s lyrical
brilliance on the 1968 demo version of the song.) Many in the audience—myself
included—were brought to their feet by the magical energy emanating from the
stage.
The second set began with
“Lee Shore”, a compositional contribution from earlier times, soothing soul
medicine for all to absorb. “Homeward Through the Haze,” also from Wind on the Water, was a stunner; again,
the group harmonies equaled the finesse and strength of the original track. Michelle
Willis shared lead vocals on “Sky Trails,” the title track of Crosby’s 2017
album, a jazz-infused work which both fans and critics are still marveling
over. (The song’s co-writer, Becca Stevens,
is a part of Crosby’s Lighthouse Band, another unique conglomerate of musicians
that also includes Willis.) The next song, “Delta,” is well-known to Crosby’s
fans as the last “real” song he wrote prior to falling over the cliff of drug
addiction and—miraculously—escaping with his life and muse intact. James
Raymond’s opening keyboard explorations were breathtaking, injecting a
majestic, cinematic atmosphere to an already emotionally-laden track. From any
vantage point in the room, it was possible to detect the gleam of pride and joy
in his father’s eyes as he watched his son’s fingers soar effortlessly over the
keyboard, conjuring up choice and chance in a single measure. Changing pace
entirely, the spotlight was turned toward Michelle Willis, who led the band
through a steamy version of her own “Janet”, proving her a songwriting force of
nature to contend with. Another turn of the wheel and Crosby was back at the
mic, espousing his love and respect for the U.S. Constitution and our country’s
better angels … ending with a spine-tingling “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.” Just as
soon as things got serious, things took a turn for the blues with a sizzling
version of “Thousand Roads” from Crosby’s 1993 solo album of the same name. The
penultimate song of the evening was “Wooden Ships,” which was treated to a
dazzling display of group effort, and met with an extended standing ovation from
the audience.
Returning to the stage for
a blistering encore of “Ohio”, the band and audience chanted as one during the
song’s closing moments. We were all reminded of two things simultaneously: we are
experiencing “strange days, indeed”, as John Lennon once said, but we should be
exceedingly grateful for artists such as David Crosby and his friends who will
travel to your town and lift your spirits for an evening of transcendent music
… offering a much-needed dose of soul medicine for our times.
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| Final Bows photo by Roy Abrams |
© Roy Abrams 2018
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