Saturday I was able to catch Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young in Northern Virgina. The show was an awesome combination of one of the finest rock concerts I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot) and an anti-war rally. In addition to preforming most of Neil Young’s “Living With War” CSNY preformed almost all of the anti-war, anti-state classics the four has produced either individually, with each other, or as part of another group.

Included among the set list was Ohio (written and recorded in a few hours after the group learned of the Kent State massacre, before preforming it Neil Young said “Thank God there is no more draft because I would hate to have to write a song like this again”), Almost Cut My Hair, Long Time Gone, Military Madness, and For What It’s Worth. For me, the highlight was a beautiful rendition of Find the Cost of Freedom, accompanied by a video tribute to the young Americans who have lost their lives in Iraq.
Another highlight was the performance of Graham Nash’s Chicago, writen to protest the treatment of the protesters at the 1968 Democratic convention and deserving to be listed as one of the great libertarian rock songs:

So your brother’s bound and gagged
And they’ve chained him to a chair
Won’t you please come to Chicago
Just to sing

In a land that’s known as freedom
How can such a thing be fair
Won’t you please come to Chicago
For the help that we can bring

We can change the world
Re-arrange the world
It’s dying … to get better

Politicians sit yourselves down
There’s nothing for you here
Won’t you please come to Chicago
For a ride

Don’t ask Jack to help you
‘Cause he’ll turn the other ear
Won’t you please come to Chicago
Or else join the other side

We can change the world
Re-arrange the world
It’s dying … if you believe in justice
It’s dying … and if you believe in freedom
It’s dying … let a man live his own life
It’s dying … rules and regulations, who needs them
Throw them out the door

Somehow people must be free
I hope the day comes soon
Won’t you please come to Chicago
Show your face

From the bottom of the ocean
To the mountains on the moon
Won’t you please come to Chicago
No one else can take your place

Yes, we can change the world
Re-arrange the world
It’s dying … if you believe in justice
It’s dying … and if you believe in freedom
It’s dying … let a man live his own life
It’s dying … rules and regulations, who needs them
Throw them out the door