Stephen Stills Brings Solo Tour To Yoshi’s SF
At age 69, Stephen Stills openly admits that he’s not ashamed to use a few stage tricks to get him through his shows these days. “I once got some sage advice from, of all people, Tony Bennett,” recalled Stills to the packed house at Yoshi’s. “Never be afraid to lower the key or use a teleprompter.” While his voice has become much raspier and his memory impaired enough to recall lyrics without the aid of a screen at foot level, Stephen’s fretwork still shines.
The first part of his May 19 show featured a trio of acoustic cover songs: Fred Neil’s “Everybody's Talkin’,” and a sample of both young and middle-aged “weird Bob” (Dylan) tunes, as Stills described them. Dressed in pure black, Stephen switched from his vintage Martin acoustic to the beautifully styled Gretsch White Falcon electric.
In a relaxed supper club setting, Stephen was able to relax and become more of a storyteller, sharing personal stories about songs his fans grew up with. Stills explained that “Johnny’s Garden” was a tribute to his English gardener, who offered him some of his “special herbal tea” to help the guitarist stay steady while heavily tripping on LSD. As a result, Stills managed to write 20 songs, but later found out he had scribbled them all on a sheet of ice: “the paper melted!” This tune was the only one that survived.
“This tour is supposed to be fun. I’m gonna enjoy myself, and hopefully you’ll come along for the ride.”
The guitarist finished his first sixty minutes with the crowd favorite “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.” In his introduction, Stills mentioned that he recently spoke with his former girlfriend Judy Collins about an album they want to work on together, and they have even made a list of songs. The song, a tribute to Collins, now includes a Middle Eastern-like section that incorporates some of George Harrison’s “Within You, Without You,” while Stills taps his guitar like a tabla drum.
Stephen Stills. Photo: Steve Roby
After a twenty-minute break, the rock legend returned with a much stronger and more varied set of electric music. Stills was joined by veteran CSN bandmates Kevin McCormick (bass) and Todd Caldwell (organ), along with new addition Mario Calire on drums. He performed “Don't Want Lies” and “Roadhouse,” new songs he had written with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg for The Rides. “I've Got to Use My Imagination,” a 1973 song recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips, appeared unexpectedly, as did Neil Young’s “Rockin' in the Free World.” The evening encore ended with the early solo hit, “Love The One You’re With.”
Stills finishes his solo tour in Tucson, Arizona, on June 3, and begins the CSN 2014 tour on July 3 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Program Notes
1st Set: Change Partners | Helplessly Hoping | Thoroughfare Gap | Everybody's Talkin’ | Reason To Believe | Girl from the North Country | Ballad Of Hollis Brown | I Used to Be a King | Medley; Suite: Judy Blue Eyes/Within You Without You.
2nd Set: Woodstock | Southern Cross | Treetop Flyer | Don't Want Lies | Roadhouse | Make Love to You | I've Got to Use My Imagination | Amazonia | Bluebird | Rockin' in the Free World.
Encore: For What It's Worth | Love The One You're With
