Stephen Stills at the Catalyst

Saturday night was a spectacular evening of music here in Santa Cruz. A double bill of epic proportions...Pegi Young with husband Neil on guitar and Stephen Stills at the Catalyst.

As the buses pulled in, and old friends began gathering in line and at bars and restaurants downtown, I felt that unique energy that builds when our musical icons come to town.

For Stephen Stills this would be a reunion with family and old friends. His sister gathered friends and family members to take over one of the balconies. Marty and I were handed the ultimate gift of trust when we were handed all access passes before the show. That meant if we chose, we could wander just about anywhere, but mis-use something like this only once and you'll not get another ever again. So while we were introduced to Stephen, we chose not to try to engage him, when the man has been undergoing a grueling tour schedule and this is no Carnegie Hall.

We slid quietly up the stairs and listened as Pegi and her band rehearsed, watching Neil and Pegi as they took the sound man through his paces. We chatted with sound man JD, (Jerry Daniels) who has been running sound in town for over 30 years. Nice to see a friendly face while so much at the old Catalyst has changed and not for the better.

Our friend Fred Arellano had been trusted with gathering folks together to bring them in early, so we had a wonderful dinner together at Tampico kitchen and wandered in through the backstage brushing by Stephen's band mates and crew. We took our places and watched the club fill with friends, family and fans.

Unceremoniously Pegi and her band took to the stage and the place went wild when they realized that Neil Young was part of the band. I must say at this point that word had spread and most folks were pretty certain he'd put in an appearance, but this was no cameo spot, Neil is an integral part of the rhythm and tone of Pegi Young and the survivors. Pegi was clearly in her element and had complete support of her band mates and the audience. The pace and feeling of her set was perfect to set the stage for the headliner.

The turnover was quick and then Stephen and his band walked out on the stage, and we were off and rockin'. Tree top flyer, for what it's worth, woodstock and many more songs that everybody could sing along to. Stephen Stills gave two full sets and never showed signs of fatigue ....only that he's still the writer and musician who lives up to every bit of fame he's garnered. I saw him a year ago and was blown away, this time I swear he was better than ever. yes, his voice has shaved off a few high notes and his hands don't always do exactly as he would have them do but we were given a great show worth every penny of our hard earned pay. And would recommend to anybody if you want a night of music to remember and treasure, the the next time Stephen Stills is going to roll into your town...get your tickets early. the folks who couldn't make it to this sold out show were very sorry.

This from Fred Arellano:

"Stephen was in rare form on a rainy Saturday night in Santa Cruz. The capacity SRO crowd was very enthusiastic, the band was smoking, and Stephen was on fire. I talked to a few Catalyst staff members and they all agreed on one thing: this was on the best shows they can remember in a long time. Stephen had his veteran touring band with him which consists of Joe Vitale on drums Todd Caldwell on keyboards, and the great Kenny Passarelli on bass. Stephen loves Santa Cruz, he has family here (sister Tai) and his former tour manager, Mac Holbert lived here for many years. He always feels very comfortable when he comes to our town."

I wholeheartedly concur