Graham Nash teamed up with country/folk great Emmylou Harris for an unforgettable night of music on Tuesday, July 29, at the famous Tanglewood venue in Lenox, Massachusetts. Each artist played their own set with their respective backing groups, but fans hoping for a collaboration between Nash and Harris got their wish too, albeit briefly.
Graham was the evening’s opening act. After hobbling on stage with a cane, the 83-year-old folk-rock legend explained that he’d recently broken his kneecap while walking in New York City, and will be performing seated for a while as he heals up.
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Nash then quipped that the audience needn’t worry, though, because “I didn’t fall on my voice.” Graham was, indeed, in fine voice throughout the show.
Nash and his group played a tight, 14-song set that featured plenty of Crosby, Stills, & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young classics, as well as four gems from his 1971 debut solo album, Songs for Beginners; and one of his early band The Hollies’ signature hits.
Nash also shared engaging anecdotes about many of the tunes he played. He was backed by a talented three-piece band consisting of multi-instrumentalists Adam Minkoff and Zach Djanikian, and keyboardist Todd Caldwell.
In addition to their versatile musicianship, Minkoff and Djanikian also are excellent singers. Their vocal abilities helped Graham recreate CSN’s intricate harmonies on such tunes as “Marrakesh Express,” “Our House,” “Teach Your Children,” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”
Nash began his set with the 1982 CSN “Wasted on the Way,” which actually was the newest song he performed at the concert.
Some Highlights from Nash’s Show
Graham’s set was packed with memorable moments and outstanding performances, but here are a few of the major highlights.
A few songs into the set, Nash declared, “I want to be here making music for your all, will sing [my tunes] now with the same passion as ever.” He then started to introduce his next song as one he’d written for his ex Joni Mitchell, which had fans anticipating that he was about to sing the romantic CSNY classic “Our House.” After pausing, Graham noted that his next tune was written after he and Mitchell broke up. He then kicked into his melancholy 1971 solo ballad “I Used to Be a King.”
Nash tipped his hat to his CSN bandmate Stephen Stills by playing a version of Stills’ 1970 solo hit “Love the One You’re With.” Graham also encouraged the crowd to sing along to the tune.
Reminiscing about his days with The Hollies, Nash shared a story about how he and bandmate Allan Clarke once visited a young songwriter named Graham Gouldman to see if he had any tunes the group could record. Nash played snippets of a couple of songs Gouldman showed them—the respective Hollies and Herman’s Hermits hit “Look Through Any Window” and “No Milk Today”— before kicking into the Gouldman-penned classic “Bus Stop.”
Nash asked the crowd if they were happy about how Joni Mitchell has started performing again. He then sent a shout-out to Brandi Carlile for her role in encouraging Joni to hit the stage again. This led into Graham telling the famous story about how he was inspired to write “Our House” during a romantic day while he and Mitchell were dating.
He ended the regular portion of his set with an jubilant version of “Our House” as the crowd sang along.
Nash’s Encore
Nash and his group left the stage, but returned to play three encores, all of them CSN or CSNY classics.
First up was “Teach Your Children,” from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1970 debut album, Déjà Vu. That was followed by the Mitchell-penned “Woodstock,” which CSNY famously covered and which also appeared on Déjà Vu.
Nash closed out his show with a thrilling rendition of the 1969 Stills-penned multi-part CSN masterpiece “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”
Harris’ Set Began with an Exciting Collaboration
After an intermission, Harris hit the stage solo with her acoustic guitar and began playing the 1970 Neil Young gem “Birds.” As Emmylou sang, Nash quietly walked up to a mic beside her and added harmony parts to the lovely ballad.
After the song, Nash exited the stage, while Harris commented that she’d basically just had a dream fulfilled.
About the Rest of Emmylou’s Set
Emmylou was then joined by her backing group, The Red Dirt Boys. The group featured Phil Madeira on keyboards and accordion, Eamon McLoughlin on fiddle and mandolin, Brian Owings on drums, Dave Jacques on bass, and Steve Fishell pedal-steel guitar. Harris explained that Jacques, the group’s newest member, had previously played with the late John Prine for 25 years.
Emmylou’s voice sounded as strong and beautiful as ever, while the band provided superb accompaniment for her various folk- and country-flavored songs.
Harris’ set included many of the hits she scored on the Billboard country chart during the late 1970s. Among these was the 1976 chart-topper “Together Again,” a cover of a 1964 Buck Owens song. Another was “One of These Days,” a No. 3 country hit in 1976 that George Jones first recorded in 1972.
Later in the show, Harris played a version of the 1960 Drifters classic “Save the Last Dance for Me,” which she scored a No. 4 country hit with in 1979.
Emmylou also paid homage to her early mentor and collaborator Gram Parsons, playing the 1970 Flying Burrito Brothers tune “Wheels” and Parsons’ 1974 solo song “Ooh Las Vegas.” Harris first covered both songs on her 1975 album Elite Hotel.
She also played two original songs from her Grammy-winning 2000 album Red Dirt Girl—the title track and “Michaelangelo.”
In addition, Emmylou performed various other covers she’d recorded over the years. These included songs by Gillian Welch (“Orphan Girl”), Nanci Griffith (“Gulf Coast Highway”), Merle Haggard (“Kern River”), Kate and Anna McGarrigle (“Goin’ Back to Harlan”), and Poco (“Rose of Cimarron”).
She also played a tune from her 2006 collaboration with Mark Knopfler, “Right Now.”
Harris ended the evening with a rendition of her 1975 song “Boulder to Birmingham,” which she co-wrote in tribute to Parsons.
About Nash’s and Harris’ Upcoming Tour Plans
Nash and Harris have a second joint show scheduled for Thursday, July 31, at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia.
Graham will then continue a U.S. summer headlining tour that wraps up on August 6 in Buffalo, New York. Then, in the fall, he’ll launch a monthlong European trek. That outing kicks off September 23 in Frankfurt, Germany, and runs through an October 24 performance in Brussels, Belgium. The tour also includes 11 shows in Nash’s U.K. homeland.
Harris, meanwhile, has a handful of headlining shows scheduled in August and September. After those gigs, she also will be playing a couple of special events.
On September 17, Emmylou will be performing at the Grand Ole Opry’s star-studded 100th anniversary concert in Nashville. Then, on October 2 in San Francisco, she will take part in a show paying tribute to her while celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. That event will be held at The Masonic.
Graham Nash Set List, Koussevitzky Music Shed at Tanglewood, Lenox, MA – 7/29/25:
- “Wasted on the Way”
- “Marrakesh Express”
- “Military Madness”
- “I Used to Be a King”
- “Simple Man”
- “Immigration Man”
- “Love the One You’re With”
- “Better Days”
- “Bus Stop”
- “Just a Song Before I Go”
- “Our House”
Encores:
- “Teach Your Children”
- “Woodstock”
- “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”
Emmylou Harris Set List – 7/29/2025:
- “Birds” – with Graham Nash
- “Easy from Now On”
- “Orphan Girl”
- “Making Believe”
- “Red Dirt Girl”
- “Gulf Coast Highway”
- “One of These Days”
- “Kern River”
- “Right Now”
- “Wheels”
- “Ooh Las Vegas”
- “Prayer in Open D”
- “Michelangelo”
- “Goin’ Back to Harlan”
- “Together Again”
- “Save the Last Dance for Me”
- “Rose of Cimarron”
Encore:
- “Boulder to Birmingham”
(Photos by Hilary Scott/Courtesy of Boston Symphony Orchestra)