Lead-in Info (pre-conference)

Conference Coverage...

VH1's CyberCast page

San Francisco Chronicle background interview

SonicNet background interview

The Tour 2000 pages

Tour Watch

A couple of Jam ShowBiz reports

Another Jam ShowBiz report

A SonicNet report

A Launch report

Live Daily's synopsis

A Variety report

VH1's report

Wall of Sound's report

Rolling Stone's report

A Reuters report

A CNN report

The MTV report

A Billboard report

An E-online report

Their new album, Looking Forward, will be out on the 26th. A couple of singles from it are already getting airplay. Early critical reports have been encouraging.

And now they're ready to announce a 40+ date US tour for early next year, dubbing it appropriately "The CSNY2K Tour". News leaks set the tour kickoff on January 25th in Detroit. So far there have been rumors and news leaks of dates in Dallas, New York, Hartford, Denver, Cleveland, Pittsburg and Detroit. Tentative plans to take the tour to Europe are being looked at for next summer. And considerations for extending the tour to the Pacific region are being mulled.

We should get be getting the whole story this Tuesday, when CSNY will be participating in a major press-conference event at Madison Square Garden. According to VH1, the press conference will start at Noon and will be carried live as a cybercast over the internet. Stay tuned for further details about the event as they come in...

In preparation for the tour dates that will be announced, the Tour 2000 pages here on HyperRust have already been opened for business.
. . . RE*AC*TOR

Very frustrating...after about a half hour, their server died....but it was pretty cool to see them all together talking....although Stephen seemed to be on a different page than the others. What's up with that?

The overall feeling I got was....I don't know....this may be a little drastic but kinda like they're walking on eggshells to hold it all together. They've got to avoid every little thing but the music itself so as to avoid conflict....you know, "don't go there!" I hope they can keep it together.

First up was Howie Klein, pres of Reprise. Only interesting thing (beyond the PR) to my ears was that Silver and Gold is to be the title of the next Neil....whenever that might be. A rustie came up with that already, didn't they....just like the "csny2k" thing. Damn that internet.

Next was the individual who's handling the tour. I lost the cast for awhile there so I don't know if they announced the dates at that point but we certainly will know at some point today.

Then the foursome. One of them mentioned how while they were making the record, they couldn't talk about that fact or even admit that that's what they were doing or it probably wouldn't have worked. They cut 21 songs and chose 12 of them.

When asked what they would be playing on tour, Crosy said most of the new album (obviously). Someone said that they would be playing things on the tour that they haven't even written yet. Neil added that they'd be doing csny songs from the future, the past and even songs before csny history....those from the Byrds, Hollies, and Buffalo Springfield. (yes!)

It was commented by both Neil and another that they would not be playing at the Bridge School Benefit because they want to do a LOT of rehearsing (hmmm.. where? ..I wonder) so they can play their best and they could never have gotten that together in time for the BSB. Plus now Nash's got to have his legs raised as much as possible.

Someone asked what has changed in each of them to make touring now possible. Crosby mentioned that this time he's awake.....and also that he's not dead. Stills droned on about acoustic vs. electric that didn't seem to answer the question. Nash mentioned that now they're more mature, compassionate and sensitive of each other's feelings and how this go-round they had a great time making the album. Neil said they were just happy to be together; how it's been at least 25 years since they toured and how its the right time and it feels right. He mentioned again how they didn't plan on making the record; it just happened...being in control of the record and being independent, that the tour was a natural progression.

Then Neil added how it feels good and we'll see how far we can go with it. Hopefully farther than Charlotte.   :-D   (Ref: Stills/Young tour, '76.)

Crosby added that they didn't discuss business at all....just the particular song they were working on at the time. He mentioned that they were really not good at anything else. Neil chimed, "and the more you listen to us talk, the more obvious that becomes."

Nash spoke next and the server died.

bh aka
brown-skinned indian

Horseshoe Man's report on the Webcast

Though da boyz said BSB is probably out because no time to rehearse, there was a brief mention of why: I believe it was Graham who said that the others were off to Europe for another press conference(s) while he stayed home to heal. So take heart Euro-Rusties!!

The pre-conference music: Slowpoke - is OK, but prefer the wistful solo version I believe. New Stills rocker - should be great in concert dueling with Neil.

Stills: I didn't get the take that Stills was out of it - only that he was letting the others field the questions (and that most of the questions were being directed at others).... His point on the acoustic/electric guitar thing was that touring "acoustic" with CSN and no other backup - he always takes his electric too. And in that configuration, with no other sounds to fill in or distract, it really made him hear what he was playing. That he learned more about playing on one tour than he had in the prior 15 years. Something to that effect.

Da boyz were having a good time poking fun at themselves and the press. All were taking great effort to say how much fun they were having and that maybe they had all learned to be more tolerant and less judgmental of each other. R-E-S-P-E-C-T would spell it out, I'd say.

Ticket prices were announced to be $150-$200 for Golden Circle (depending on market), and $39.50-$79 for the majority of seats. AVerage of just over $50. Well within concert prices of this era for comparable events (hell of a lot less than Stones).

Should be fun - if I can get tickets. By the way, saw on Pollstar that Tickets.Com is going to try an "electric wristband" for on-line ticket buyers starting for a few shows in November.

A few comments from RE*AC*TOR

• Howie Klein made some kind of a cryptic remark about the two singles from Looking Forward that would, if "added together", rank above the current number 1. Not sure on what chart that would apply.

• Michael Cohl mentioned that there would NOT be an opening act on the CSNY2K Tour.

• Nash's comments on his injury were something like: "Look above my knees and I'm perfect." and "We're gonna Rock and Roll. I'm doing the rolling, they're doing the rocking..."

• When quized on what's good about now for a tour, Croz commented: "I'm not dead!"

  Graham said: "The relationship between the four of us has absolutely never been better."

  Croz also said: "We really want to play. We're not good at anything else." To which Neil added: "You can see THAT from this press conference."

• In response to a question about Euro-dates, Stills answered in Spanish. Croz added that there were no commitments to Euro-dates yet.

• Stills also said: "If we don't go to South America soon, I'm gonna quit."

• Neil mentioned at one point: "We've already started another album, and the question is whether we'll finish it."

• When asked whether CSNY would have toured if they didn't have a new album to promote, Neil said: "I don't think it would be any fun to tour without a new record."

• When they were asked about their ages, Croz said: "I'm a grandfather and I'm 91 years old, but extremely well preserved."

  Nash said: "Stills is 29, I'm 57 and nobody knows how old Neil is."

  But Neil jumped in with: "I'm 5344 years old and that's the same number as the Lionel 700E Hudson."

• Neil's key comment of the day: "Our music will speak for us. There's really nothing more to say."