David Crosby might be the original hippie.
But long after most of his contemporaries have died or stashed away their guitars for good, the 75-year-old singer has no intentions of giving up the music game.
Crosby, an original founding member of both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash (and occasionally Young), played a fully acoustic set to a small, but appreciative crowd on Tuesday night at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.
He’s a little worse for the wear – but to be honest, who among us wouldn’t be after the rock and roll lifestyle Crosby’s lived, a journey that landed him on jail and death’s doorstep, little hope for his survival after a lifelong battle with drugs and alcohol.
Somehow he survived, and managed to keep his sense of humour.
It was on full display during his Thunder Bay stop.
Known for his breathtaking harmonies throughout his five decades on stage, Crosby was in a chatty mood on Tuesday night, stopping to reminisce between songs about the people and places he’d seen.
Top of his list was Joni Mitchell, the Canadian songstress whose song Woodstock was covered by CSNY way back when.
Crosby covered a pair of Mitchell tunes, For Free, and for just the second time yet, Amelia, calling his relationship with her a turbulent one.
“I don’t know why I love you guys,” he said to the audience, “because you guys sent me Joni and Neil. Not the easiest pair.”
It didn’t stop him from suggesting he might pack his bags and head north of the border should Donald Trump be elected president in November – though he showed equal disdain for Trump’s main competitor, Hillary Clinton.
Just one more reason to call Canada home – that and the promise of legalized pot.
“I’ve met Hillary and she might not be the one that I’d want,” he said, voicing his support for a woman in the White House at some point.
“I have a low opinion of 99.999 per cent of the politicians in the world – except for Justin Trudeau. I like him.”
His 19-song set, broken up by a short intermission, dove into deep cuts from his past and included nine Crosby Still and Nash songs (or some variation of the legendary band), starting with The Lee Shore two songs in and continuing on through Naked in the Rain, Dream for Him, In My Dreams, Delta, Carry Me, Homeward Through the Haze, Déjà vu and Guinnivere.
The last two were a chance for him to sing the songs they way they were meant to be heard, without straining over the guitars of “two guys whose names I won’t mention,” a shot at on-again, off-again ex-bandmates Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
The lone Byrds song was Triad.
“This next song is unequivocally not the reason they threw me out of the Byrds,” he said, debunking a common myth that has taken flight over the years.
“They actually threw me out because I was an asshole. It happens. It was just a phase I was going through.”
Crosby also introduced his faithful fans to a pair of new songs, What Makes it So and Home Free, both warmly welcomed by the quiet crowd.
