David Crosby & The Lighthouse Band: Live at the Capitol Theatre
He may still rub some people—including certain former bandmates—the wrong way, but you’ve got to give David Crosby props for at least one thing. Well, two, actually: Not only is he still alive, long past his expiration date, but at 81 he is arguably singing as well, if not better, than he ever has. Chalk it up to whatever you like—yes, sobriety is, um, high on that list—but whatever the reasons, a David Crosby concert in the 2020s is a wondrous thing. He doesn’t need to reunite with any of his peers; he’s got this. It’s also no minor thing that Croz’s songwriting over the past decade or so has been A-level stuff: He’s released five new studio albums since 2014 and each is a gem. So now, finally, he’s decided to show all of this off with his first-ever live solo album, recorded at Port Chester, N.Y.’s venerable Capitol Theatre, one of the last of its kind in its own right. Backed by The Lighthouse Band— multi-instrumentalists/vocalists Becca Stevens, Michelle Willis and Michael League—that he has employed since 2016, Crosby offers a cross-section of material from those recent albums, as well as a few reminders of where he came from. It’s the newer material that shines brightest. Sure, it’s great to hear “Laughing” and “What Are Their Names” from that still-terrific 1971 debut, as well as “Déjà Vu” and the craftily rearranged “Guinnevere,” but even more poignant to hear what the drummer-less quartet has done with tunes like “1974” and “Glory” (from 2018’s Here If You Listen), and “By the Light of Common Day” and “Things We Do for Love” (from 2016’s Lighthouse). Crosby has been frank in saying he doesn’t know how much longer he’ll be with us, but don’t be surprised if he’s still got a lot left in him to give.
