Stage Talk with Rick Koster
Where every show has something to say.
Graham Nash: A Trip Unto Himself
Does LSD even exist anymore?
No, don’t tell me! I don’t wanna know!
The best days of acid are behind us, I suspect.
In any case, no one ever had a better trip than the exquisite songwriter and two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Graham Nash — who returns to the Garde for a performance on Friday, April 10 at 8 p.m.
You’ll be able to hear about Nash’s peerless hallucinogenic experience at the show because he will without a doubt play his wonderful song “Cathedral.” A high point on the CSN album — which is in turn arguably the finest album by Crosby, Stills & Nash — “Cathedral” describes in marvelous harmonic and melodic detail an afternoon Nash spent tripping, first, amongst the mystical pillars at Stonehenge and then inside Winchester Cathedral.
In 2019, I interviewed Nash shortly before a sold-out Garde concert. Among the questions I inquired was what kind of acid he took before the incident that led to writing “Cathedral” because it seemed like a good thing to know in the event I ever found myself in a timeless cathedral with a few hours to spare.
“I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that,” Graham said after a pause. He went on to add that he didn’t remember a specific type or label for the drug, and maybe that’s best.
I’ll tell you what’s also “best,” and that’s Graham Nash in concert: His distinctive and yearning voice, his gentle and witty charm, anecdotes from an amazing life, a truly fine band — and a collection of almost peerless songs from his solo career as well as his time in the Hollies, CSN and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Important notice: the merch table will NOT be selling acid. You’ll have a truly excellent time without it.