CSNY TV Specials Coming
Ever since VH1 signed on the dotted line to sponsor the
CSNY2K tour (since renamed
to the less trendy "CSNY 2000" moniker) they've been very agressive in
getting the band onto home television and computer screens. Beginning with
their sponsorship of the Tour Announcement news
conference webcast, CSNY has been popping up regularly on VH1.
Ahead of the tour, there were plenty of commercials promoting VH1's
involvement. And then they did a live broadcast and
webcast
of the first four songs of the tour's
opening night in Detroit.
Since that tour opener, the CSNY2K tour has been very warmly
received by the fans and had many
enthusiastic reviews from the press and fans alike. The shows have
drawn the biggest box-office of the year, including six of the top ten
grossing musical concerts up to now. By any measure this tour has been
a major success so far. One journalist actually called it best reunion
tour ever..!
Hot on the heals of this success, has come news of new television shows
featuring CSNY in development by VH1. The first to be
leaked was the plan for a CSNY installment of the Storytellers
series. And more recently it was revealed that a new Legends show
is in the works. Thankfully there's no indication that one of the (often
sleazy) Behind The Music shows on them is being developed.
The Storytellers show is being recorded during the tour's run in
the Los Angeles area. The participation of CSNY was first mentioned in
a
Variety article about the revival of the series, also featuring
Steely Dan and Don Henley. The article mentioned that the CSNY
show would be taping this week and would show during the week of April 24.
Subsequently, L.A.'s KLOS radio began running
a contest
to get a couple of winners into the taping of the Storytellers
show, which they said was going to be at a "secret location". The taping
was confirmed to be tonight (Friday, February 18) at 8:00pm in Los Angeles.
Production of new Legends shows on VH1 had pretty much stopped
a while back when Behind The Music and Storytellers had become
regular features on the network. However word that a new Legends show
featuring CSNY was in the works was revealed on the Lee Shore
mailing list in a post by Denny Sarokin
(the author of the song Sanibel, which is featured on CSNY's
Looking
Forward album). He said:
"By the way, there's been a buzz about a VH1 Legends show.
It's a done deal! I was contacted by VH1 about legal rights to
the song today. It's slated to air mid-March."
Subsequently, Rustie Tom Hambleton checked in with VH1 to see if
more details about the Storytellers taping were forthcoming. Their
response confirmed both shows, and even set the exact date for them to be
broadcast:
"...Yes, we recently plan to tape a Storytellers with CSNY,
but there are no tickets available to the show. It will be taped on a
closed set and audience members are invited guests of VH1, the band,
and the record label. I'm sure that the label will designate a certain number
of tickets to fan club members [HyperRust editor's note: HA!]
and we will also have a limited number of giveaways on local radio stations
(KLOS for sure).
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we hope you're as happy about the upcoming
special as we are. We'll also air a Legends on CSNY. Both shows
are scheduled to premiere on Sunday, March 12 at 11 AM and Noon (ET/PT) and
repeat that night at 9 PM and 10 PM (ET/PT)..."
So there you have it. Two straight hours on CSNY on March 12.
Set up those VCRs now...!
The Storytellers Taping Set List & Experience
by Gary Goltz
Just got back from the Storytellers taping at
Hollywood Center Studios
near Melrose. The crowd was about 250, mostly radio contest
winners and friends of the band. CSNY took the stage a little after
9PM PST and played the acoustic set from the tour, with Dunn's and Keltner's
backing. I was in the front row about 9 feet away from Neil!
Here's the set list...
- Helplessly Hoping
- Our House
- Only Love Can Break Your Heart
- Dream For Him
- Someday Soon
- Looking Forward
- After The Goldrush
- Guinnevere
- Out of Control
- Seen Enough
- Teach Your Children
Encores
- Helplessly Hoping (Re-done at Neil's request.)
- Long May You Run
I'm trying to think of any other memories from the taping. When I first
pulled up to the gate Will Smith was arriving. He must have been shooting
something there. All the tour buses were parked around the studios. Afterwards
I ran into Graham outside of Neil's bus. He was in good spirits and had to
leave quickly to get some photos taken with CS_Y.
The VH1 host of Storytellers told me the stage we were in was at
one time used for I Love Lucy. During the taping he seemed a little
frazzled by CSNY's reluctance to tell stories. He told the audience
that Storytellers was created with CSNY in mind. Several
times he tried to get them to explain their songs in detail but they seemed
rather glib. Neil said something like "Our songs
themselves tell the stories."
The acoustics were really different from the tour shows. From where I sat you
could hear them singing without the amplifiers. It was an awesome effect. I
guess it was as close as you can get to having them play in your living room.
Lucky me!
A few years ago I met Neil at Irvine Meadows and showed him my 1955 Buick
Highway Patrol car. Elliot took
a
picture of us with my camera back then. I reminded Ellito of the incident,
and he remebered.
Gary
The Storytellers Taping
by Bearly
The VH1 Storytellers taping last night was short and very sweet.
The stage was set up pretty much like the other venues, but smaller, of
course; lamps, potted palm, wooden Indian, pipe organ rear of stage, sage...
Kristen and Eleanor Stills were front row center, we were off on the side and
towards the back, which in such a small studio meant the 4th row...
;-)
They played for about 75 minutes, a mini-version of the tour setlists.
I especially liked Only Love Can Break Your Heart, as we didn't get that
one at the Staples Center show I experienced. Stephen's Seen Enough
was wonderful, and Guinnevere was lovely (despite the director or DP or
whomever he was talking all the way through the song. I hope they can still use
it...)
They ended up doing Helplessly Hoping over again at the end of the show,
because Neil said he'd screwed it up the first time. Of course we all thought
the first one was great, but he insisted, saying he could sing that song 5
more times, he loves it so much... Of course, both versions sounded beautiful.
The show will be great. Beautiful songs, acoustic and electric, lots of
banter back and forth between the guys, but don't expect to learn the
long-debated "meanings" of your favorite songs. There weren't many "inside
stories", per se, mostly kidding and ribbing and goofing around... Basically
just a lot of fun and a very, very special evening.
Peace,
Bearly
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