Stills-Collins
 

Drove out to Tanglewood (Lenox, Mass) yesterday for this show. They host a smattering of rock or folk shows during the summer but their principle draw is the Boston Symphony Orchestra or Boston Pops shows.
Large 'shed' venue with lawn seating behind it (with no views and only 2 tv screens).

Thought we would get a set from each performer and a few songs together, but instead Stephen and Judy were on stage together for the whole show with the exception of a couple of songs. The best-performed songs were Judy's, the backing band (keys, bass, drums) were ok, but the overall playing was very loose most of the time.
Stephen never got things together on the guitar (he was doing all the leads) until the end. They did a bunch of cover songs, opening with the Traveling Wilbury's 'Handle With Care', which they changed to 'Handle ME With Care'. Stills did a lackluster version of Petty's 'I Won't Back Down' while Collins took a song break. The best cover they did was Leonard Cohen's 'Everybody Knows' which is on the latest album they released together.
The final songs of the show were 'For What It's Worth' and 'Bluebird', which finally got Stills going on guitar. Collins played a beautiful 3-piece back 12 string acoustic rhythm for most songs, switching to a 6 string acoustic for just a few songs. Stephen switched guitars almost every song, a couple of Strats, a couple of big-body hollow body electrics and a couple of different acoustics.
Encores were 'Houses', a song Stills wrote and Collins recorded in 72 after they had broken up, and a partial version of 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'.

Thanks for the review Mike! I saw them on CBS Sunday Morning a couple weeks ago. I like them much more for the nostalgia, as their best days are behind them - they are both into their 70's so that is expected. In the late 1960's into the 70's, there were few better.

Wasn't it Collins herself who wrote "Houses" (the one that goes "You have many houses, one for every season")? The melody in the ramps and harmonic tension in the bridges definitely reflects the theory she learned in her classical piano training. If she's influenced by anyone in that one it's Grieg (not surprising because she did "Peer Gynt" with Stacy Keach at NYC's Shakespeare-in-the-Park) and Jimmy Webb (who wrote the same album's leadoff tone "The Moon's a Harsh Mistress"). The Stills song she covers (also on the same album, I think) is "So Begins the Task." (At least Stills got five fantastic songs out of that breakup: that, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Helplessly Hoping," "You Don't Have to Cry," and "See the Changes;" nifty harmonies, too).

And I just checked: they aren't coming to Ravinia (our "Tanglewood"). Dang.

Sandy, you're right about the penning of 'Houses', it was unclear when Judy was introducing the song at the show, as she seemed to say that Stills had played on the recording (which is not true) - maybe she meant the re-recording on their new album.

Here's a good article:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...inning-me-back