By Jeffrey Lee Puckett
jpuckett@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

David Crosby and Graham Nash carry a lot of weight. Some might even call it a burden. As part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, they helped shape the counter-culture of the 1960s with a body of work that was politically and socially aware -- and eminently hummable. The songcraft and bravura singing that they brought to the group are still revered today, and longtime fans count on Crosby & Nash to maintain the '60s flame, or at least keep the embers warm.

But they carry the weight with ease, and not a little joy. Their show Monday night at The Kentucky Center's Whitney Hall was a celebration of their music's legacy and of 40 years together. It was a vital, often beautiful performance marked by enduring songs and the friends' obvious pleasure at sharing a stage one more time.

Crosby & Nash dipped into their catalog for songs from every phase of their careers since meeting in 1968, including solo albums. Many have become ingrained in our cultural consciousness.

There were classics such as "Our House," "Immigration Man," "Teach Your Children," "Long Time Gone," "Wooden Ships" and "Marrakesh Express." But there were some surprises, too, such as Crosby's gorgeous "Carry Me" and Nash's "Cathedral" and "Just A Song Before I Go," which condenses an impressive range of emotions into a scant two minutes and change.

Neither man has lost much vocally -- maybe some upper range and a little flexibility -- but their vaunted harmonies were intact. Crosby's soulful bellow and Nash's refined tenor complement each other strikingly, locking together with a remarkable ease that seems more preordained than practiced. Even better, they seem to still enjoy singing together; Crosby chuckled to himself several times after a particularly good run before waddling over to Nash to slap five.

Neither man directly addressed the fact that many of their songs, written to protest situations 30 or 40 years old, remain relevant. Nash came closest when he changed a few words in "Military Madness" to address the current administration.

Reporter Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at (502) 582-4160.