This past March I was able to see five shows: local up and coming Americana band ‘Forty Mile Detour’, Travis Tritt making up a snow date cancellation, David Bromberg quintet in their first Charleston appearance in 45 years, Graham Nash and the Dixie Dregs.  I have chosen the back to back performances of Graham Nash(March 4) and the Dixie Dregs(March 5) in performances at the Music Hall. The decision was easy to make.

First up was Graham Nash and two fellow musicians in a Sunday night performances advertised as “an intimate evening of songs and stories”. That is just what the audience received as Graham and company delivered a performance that was comfort food for the musical soul. Graham has been part of two iconic bands in the Hollies(R&R HofF* 2010) and CSNY/CSN/C&S,(R&R HofF* 1997) etc. This provided for a rich library of songs that provided many great memories for an appreciative audience. The stories Graham told were entertaining and insightful. Many of the tales involved other artists who helped shape the songs or provided the inspiration. Graham knows when to transition from story to song, a trait more artists need to be able to master. One obvious subject that was absent as he told his tales was anything negative about David Crosby. If you are unaware, there has been a very public split between David and Graham after nearly 50 years of making music together. That’s a subject for another day.

The next night, the Dixie Dregs rolled into town for the second show of their reunion tour. The band had formed more than 40 years ago and released their first album, Free Fall, in 1977. They had a great run for over 15 years before the bandmates went their separate ways. During those years, there were many revolving members with the core of Rod Morgenstein (drums), Steve Morse (lead guitar), Andy West(bass) and Allen Sloan(violin) remaining together most of the time. This year the original five reformed to honor that first album’s release.

What impressed me the most was the energy and clarity that the band demonstrated during their more than two hour performance. I am one who knew and liked the Dregs when they first appeared on the musical scene but I couldn’t say that I was a big fan or had any of their albums. The band might be labeled as progressive rock, jazz rock and also hard rock. Their performance was all instrumental which is a feat that few bands can pull off while keeping the audience engaged for their entire concert. Steve Morse played lead guitar with Deep Purple and Kansas and is one of the foremost guitarist’s active today. With his shoulder length blond hair and his muscle man arms, he looks like a Norse god with a guitar as the weapon he was wielding.

Should you have the opportunity to catch either performer in your town or nearby, it is highly recommended. While Graham Nash and the Dixie Dregs are very different talents, they are great musicians whose performances are worth the trek and the wait.

*Rock and Roll Hall of Fame