Independent Arts News Reporting 
Pictured Above: Graham Nash. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Graham Nash Brings Six Decades of Songs to Bethlehem and Morristown
By: Keith Loria
The legendary singer-songwriter discusses the enduring relevance of his music, the joy of performing and why audiences remain central to every show
Graham Nash is not interested in turning his concerts into museum pieces. After more than six decades onstage, the songs may carry history, but for Nash, they remain living things, open to new listeners and the urgency of the present moment.
The two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee brings his “Live on Tour 2026” concert to Baker Hall at Zoellner Arts Center in Bethlehem, Pa., on Sept. 24, followed by an Oct. 2 performance at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, N.J. Both evenings will travel from the Hollies through Crosby, Stills & Nash and CSNY to Nash’s celebrated solo work.
What keeps him returning to the road is not obligation, but the same impulse that first drew him to music.
“I just love being a musician. I love playing in front of people,” Nash says. “I’ve always loved what I do, and that’s one of the things that keeps me alive.”
Nash first found fame with the Hollies, co-writing “On a Carousel” and “Carrie Anne,” before joining Crosby, Stills & Nash. His songs for CSN and CSNY included “Marrakesh Express,” “Our House” and “Teach Your Children.” His solo catalog runs from 1971’s “Songs for Beginners” through “Now,” released in 2023.
That wealth of material lets Nash anchor each show with familiar touchstones without becoming trapped by them.
“I have the skeleton of the set with those six or seven songs that people want to hear,” he says. “But in between all those, I can do what I want—brand-new songs, songs I wrote this morning or a deep cut. I can go anywhere because I’ve written a lot of songs in my life.”
Nash pointed to “Military Madness,” “Immigration Man,” “Chicago/We Can Change the World” and “Teach Your Children” as works whose concerns have not faded.
“They were relevant when I wrote them, and I wanted them to be relevant in 50 years’ time, which seems to have happened,” he says.
Pictured Above: Graham Nash. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Nash regularly sees teenagers alongside listeners who have followed him since the 1960s, and that’s a true joy when he’s on stage.
“The demographics of the people who come to see us are between 75 and 14,” Nash says. “A lot of those younger people have been turned on by their brother or sister or their parents, and it just makes me realize that the music we do is incredibly important.”
If audience members know the words, Nash considers that proof a song belongs to them, too.
“I want them to be as much a part of the show as I am,” he says. “If they want to sing with me, I realize that a song is important to them. They’ve learned the words, and if they want to sing, go right ahead.”
On tour, Nash will be joined by Todd Caldwell on keyboards; Adam Minkoff on bass, drums, guitar and vocals; and Zack Djanikian on guitar, bass, drums and vocals. He notes playing with musicians roughly half his age keeps him sharp.
“They’re incredible musicians,” Nash says. “Quite frankly, I have to bring my A game every night because I have to be good for these kids.”
Even at 84, Nash is still writing, finding no shortage of subjects. In fact, this summer he was finishing two songs—one responding to ICE, whose actions he opposes, and another love song.
The accomplished photographer is also working on a follow-up to his 2021 book, “A Life in Focus.”
“I don’t take vacations,” Nash says. “My entire life has been a vacation since I was 13 years old.”
Nash traces that curiosity to his youth in England, when he listened after bedtime to American artists including Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino and the Everly Brothers. His goal was to make music that moved him the way theirs did.
Decades later, the relationship between artist, song and listener still drives him. Nash believes these concerts can offer something particularly valuable now: a shared pause from the noise beyond the theater.
“I think you’ll experience at least a couple of hours of relative peace in these incredibly chaotic times,” he says.
Graham Nash performs at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Zoellner Arts Center’s Baker Hall in Bethlehem, Pa., and at 8 p.m. Oct. 2 at Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, N.J. For tickets, visit zoellner.cas.lehigh.edu and mayoarts.org.
