| Concert Tour Name: | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1969–1970 tours |
| Artist: | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young |
| Start Date: | August 16, 1969 |
| End Date: | July 9, 1970 |
| Number Of Legs: | 2 |
| Number Of Shows: | 42 |
| This Tour: | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1969–1970 tours |
| Next Tour: | CSNY 1974 |
The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 1969 and 1970 concert tours were two separate tours that covered North America, and Europe, before the band broke up for the first time.
The first tour starting in 1969 and finishing with three dates in Europe in January 1970, was the first Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tour. The tour was notable for performing at many of the era's major festivals including their second ever gig, a one-hour show at the Woodstock Festival in the early morning of August 18, 1969, which was a baptism by fire for the group. The crowd of industry friends looking on from offstage was intimidating and prompted Stills to say, "This is the second time we've ever played in front of people, man. We're scared shitless." Their appearance at the festival and in the subsequent movie Woodstock, boosted the visibility of the quartet tremendously. Footage from two performances from the Big Sur Folk Festival (held on the grounds of the Esalen Institute on September 13–14, 1969) appears in the movie Celebration at Big Sur. They also appeared at the violence-plagued Altamont Free Concert on December 6, 1969, alongside Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers and the headlining Rolling Stones. At the band's request, their performance was not included in the subsequent film Gimme Shelter (1970). During this tour they also appeared on the television show This Is Tom Jones, performing "You Don't Have To Cry" and with Tom Jones, "Long Time Gone". They also appeared on the television show The Music Scene performing "Down By The River".[1]
After a break for christmas they finished this tour with three dates in Europe, attending the Royal Albert Hall, was a who's who of British rock musicians including Paul McCartney, Donovan and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.[2]
During time off in the first tour and in between the two tours, the band recorded and released their second studio album and their first as the quartet with Neil Young on board, Déjà Vu.
The 1970 tour got off to a rocky start, in consultation with other band members, Stills fired Reeves from the group shortly before the beginning of their second American tour in April 1970 "because [he] suddenly decided he was an Apache witch doctor." He further opined that "[Reeves] freaked too much on the bass and no one could keep up because [he] did not play one rhythm the same… he could play bass imaginatively, but he has to be predictable as well," while "Greg also wanted to sing some of his songs on the CSN&Y show, which I thought was ludicrous, only because the songs weren't great. We'll sing any song if it's great, but not just because it happens to be written by our bass player." He was replaced by Calvin "Fuzzy" Samuels, a homeless Jamaican musician recently discovered by Stills at Island Records' London studios. Shortly thereafter, Taylor (who frequently clashed with Young over the band's tempos during the first tour and Déjà Vu sessions) was also dismissed when Young threatened to leave the group following the first performance of the tour at the Denver Coliseum on May 12, 1970. Notwithstanding these previous tensions, Taylor would later assert that his dismissal stemmed from a flirtation with Young's first wife (Topanga Canyon restaurateur Susan Acevedo) amid renewed conflict between Stills and Young in the aftermath of Reeves' firing. Shortly thereafter, drummer John Barbata (formerly of The Turtles) was hired for the remainder of the tour and associated recordings.[3]
As the 23-show tour progressed, the tenuous nature of the partnership was strained by Stills' alcohol and cocaine abuse and perceived megalomania, culminating in an extended solo set not countenanced by the other band members at the Fillmore East when he was informed that Bob Dylan was in the audience. In this turbulent atmosphere, Crosby, Nash and Young decided to fire Stills during a two-night stint at Chicago's Auditorium Theatre in July 1970. Following his reinstatement, the tour ended as scheduled in Bloomington, Minnesota on July 9, 1970; however, the group broke up immediately thereafter. Concert recordings from dates at the Fillmore East, and The Forum in June 1970 and at the Auditorium Theater in July 1970 were assembled by Nash, and produced the 1971 double album 4 Way Street, which topped the charts during a 42-week stay. Although they would continue to collaborate in various and largely ephemeral permutations, the four members would not come back together in earnest until their 1974 reunion tour.[4] [5]
A typical set list for the first tour included the following, although there were substitutions, variations and order switches throughout the tour.
A typical set list for the second included the following, although there were substitutions, variations and order switches throughout the tour. The tour always started off with an acoustic set, with "Suite Judy Blue" Eyes opening, then solo/duo sets from Crosby, Nash, Young, then Stills, the songs in the solo spots were continually changing. A ten-minute interval section was taken before the electric set began, opening with "Pre-Road Downs", and generally finishing with "Carry On". They would then return for "Woodstock" and/or an acoustic "Find The Cost Of Freedom" for the encore.
| Tour[6] [7] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | City | Country | Venue | |
| August 16, 1969 (2 shows) | Chicago | United States | Auditorium Theatre | |
| August 18, 1969 | Bethel | Woodstock festival | ||
| August 25, 1969 | Los Angeles | Greek Theatre | ||
| August 26, 1969 | ||||
| August 27, 1969 | ||||
| August 28, 1969 | ||||
| August 29, 1969 | ||||
| August 30, 1969 | ||||
| August 31, 1969 | ||||
| September 5, 1969 | ABC Studios The Music Scene | |||
| September 6, 1969 | ABC Studios This Is Tom Jones | |||
| September 13, 1969 | Big Sur | Big Sur Folk Festival Esalen Institute | ||
| September 14, 1969 | ||||
| September 19, 1969 | New York City | Fillmore East (4 Shows) | ||
| September 20, 1969 | ||||
| October 11, 1969 | New Haven | New Haven Arena | ||
| November 9, 1969 | Santa Barbara | Campus Stadium | ||
| November 13, 1969 | San Francisco | Winterland Ballroom | ||
| November 14, 1969 | ||||
| November 15, 1969 | ||||
| November 16, 1969 | ||||
| November 22, 1969 | Honolulu | HIC Arena | ||
| November 26, 1969 | Denver | Denver Coliseum | ||
| November 27, 1969 | Salt Lake City | Salt Palace | ||
| November 28, 1969 | Dallas | Memorial Auditorium | ||
| November 29, 1969 | Phoenix | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | ||
| December 5, 1969 | Sacramento | Counties Building – Cal Expo | ||
| December 6, 1969 | Livermore | Altamont Speedway | ||
| Westwood | Pauley Pavilion | |||
| December 11, 1969 | Pittsburgh | Civic Arena | ||
| December 12, 1969 | Cleveland | Public Hall | ||
| December 13, 1969 | Chicago | Auditorium Theatre | ||
| December 14, 1969 | Detroit | Masonic Temple Theater | ||
| December 17, 1969 | Albuquerque | Tingley Coliseum | ||
| December 18, 1969 | Houston | Hofheinz Pavilion | ||
| December 21, 1969 | San Diego | Balboa Stadium | ||
| Europe | ||||
| January 6, 1970 | London | United Kingdom | Royal Albert Hall | |
| January 9, 1970 | Stockholm | Sweden | Konserthuset | |
| January 11, 1970 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Falkonercentret | |
| Dates | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 1970 | Denver | United States | Denver Coliseum |
| May 29, 1970 | Boston | Boston Garden | |
| May 30, 1970 | Baltimore | Civic Center | |
| June 2, 1970 | New York City | Fillmore East | |
| June 3, 1970 | |||
| June 4, 1970 | |||
| June 5, 1970 | |||
| June 6, 1970 | |||
| June 7, 1970 | |||
| June 9, 1970 | Providence | Rhode Island Auditorium | |
| June 10, 1970 | Philadelphia | The Spectrum | |
| June 12, 1970 | Detroit | Olympia Stadium | |
| June 16, 1970 | Portland | Memorial Coliseum | |
| June 17, 1970 | Seattle | Seattle Center Coliseum | |
| June 19, 1970 | Oakland | Oakland Coliseum Arena | |
| June 26, 1970 | Inglewood | The Forum | |
| June 28, 1970 | |||
| July 1, 1970 | St. Louis | Kiel Municipal Auditorium | |
| July 3, 1970 | Cleveland | Public Hall | |
| July 5, 1970 | Chicago | Auditorium Theatre | |
| July 6, 1970 | |||
| July 7, 1970 | Madison | Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum | |
| July 9, 1970 | Bloomington | Metropolitan Sports Center |
These were extra dates, not part of the main tours, but before the 1974 reunion tour.
| City | Country | Venue | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, 1971 | New York City | United States | Carnegie Hall | Stephen Stills and Neil Young drop by a Crosby & Nash show |
| October 3, 1971 | Boston | Boston Music Hall | ||
| October 4, 1971 | New York City | Carnegie Hall | ||
| October 4, 1973 | San Francisco | Winterland Arena | Crosby, Nash & Young drop by a Stephen Stills Manassas show | |
| October 7, 1973 | Crosby & Nash drop by a Stephen Stills Manassas show |