The Avett Brothers, a North Carolina-originated Americana band that has been popular since its formation early in the century, headlined three nights at Colorado’s world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheater last weekend and had three different opening acts. For the final show, on July 12, 2026, the Avetts welcomed Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and classic rock legend Graham Nash and his band for the support set.

It was, perhaps, a somewhat unusual pairing and more of a co-bill, rather than an opening act and a vastly larger headliner. Nash has obviously been performing for decades—more than 60 years, in fact—as a member of the Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash, among other incarnations. By the time Nash and his talented three-piece backing band finished their 50-plus-minute show, it truly felt like they’d played a headlining set, if only for the nonstop run of hits that thrilled the packed crowd. With the Avett Brothers septet also turning in an impressive performance, it made for an extremely satisfying double bill.

Long one of rock’s fiercest protest voices and one of the industry’s best high harmony singers, Nash, born Feb. 2, 1942, now leads his own group, a quartet featuring multi-instrumentalists Zack Djanikian and Adam Minkoff, with Todd Caldwell on keyboards. One can rightly imagine that quality harmony and background singing was part of the job requirement and this trio fit perfectly. Backing up a legend and voice such as Nash requires certain skills and his band’s performance would’ve made Crosby and Stills proud.

During the nascent years of Nash’s career, he quickly went from the pop-heavy jangle and pleasant-valley songs of the Hollies to being a part of one of the first, and best, supergroups in CSN. Now that David Crosby has left this mortal coil and Stephen Stills is semi-retired, Nash spends most of his touring time as frontman of his own band, drawing from his catalog with his famous partners, his memorable hits from his time in the Hollies and of course his plentiful and strong solo work.

Related: Our Album Rewind of Nash’s solo debut, Songs for Beginners

The 1960s, as many of us remember, was an extremely fraught time for not just the United States but the world at large—very much like today. It seems to have come full circle as wars rage, the powerful seize more assets and protests grow louder. Nash was very much on the front lines of the music-backed protest movement of the 1960s, with songs like “Military Madness” and “Chicago,” which helped lead the charge of the voice of the people.

Nash’s instantly recognizable high tenor voice has provided perfect harmony vocals for his bandmates in the past, as well as other artists such as Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, David Gilmour, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and many more, That voice is still strong and clear, all the more remarkable as Nash is now 84 years old. Letting his current bandmates handle the high harmonies nowadays isn’t just convenient but logical as he takes over the lead vocals on songs originally sung by Stills. And while Nash is probably able to hit most of those high notes, it was unnecessary as the body of his singing voice remains nearly identical to that standout voice first heard six decades ago.

Nash remarked how often he had previously played Red Rocks, the natural amphitheater built literally into the side of a mountain between two giant rock pillars in Morrison, Colorado, on the outskirts of Denver. A perfect sound mix accompanied the first notes of the opening selection, the above-cited “Chicago,” a fierce minor-key rocker documenting the anti-war riots and protests in that city in 1968. Segueing into that song’s natural coda section, “We Can Change the World”—both featured on CSNY’s classic live album, 4-Way Street—it was clear that Nash had come to make more than just a musical statement.

Nash designed his set to balance his heavier material with the hits that nearly everyone in the sold-out crowd knew. Following a splendid take of the CSN travelogue classic, “Marrakesh Express,” Nash then delivered a powerful reading of one of his best solo songs, “Immigration Man.” Never one to shy away from topical songs, Nash had seemingly extra fervor in delivering this obviously timely song and he even name-checked the current president in a slightly rewritten lyric that was clearly not complimentary. The uplifting “Better Days” came next, one of four songs Nash performed from his excellent 1971 debut solo album, Songs for Beginners. Nash then delivered the first of several classic rock hits originally written and sung by Stills, “Love the One You’re With,” which naturally became a massive singalong. Another tune from his debut, the plaintive “Simple Man,” followed, documenting Nash’s time after his breakup with Mitchell. The 1977 CSN hit, “Just a Song Before I Go,” then provided more familiarity for the crowd, along with a brief story on the song’s origins.

At that point, there came a parade of truly big hits: “Our House” (another song inspired by Mitchell, albeit about happier times), “Teach Your Children” (with Djanikian ably recreating Jerry Garcia’s well-known pedal steel part on the electric guitar) and a final trio of tunes straight from the CSN heyday. After thanking the vociferous crowd, Nash and band brought the place to a soulful standstill with a beautiful rendering of Stills’ “Find the Cost of Freedom,” which went directly into another joyous singalong, Mitchell’s classic “Woodstock” (another one originally sung by Stills). Nash then closed his set with a splendid and dynamic version of “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” yet another Stills song and another paean to a lost lover, Stills’ former flame Judy Collins. Nash curated a defiantly crowd-pleasing set list, culminating in one of CSN’s biggest songs.

Watch Graham Nash perform “Find the Cost of Freedom” and “Our House” at Red Rocks

The Avett Brothers have for many years been one of the top Americana or folk-rock outfits on the circuit and this sold-out, three-night annual run at Red Rocks was no exception. Seth and Scott Avett, both skilled multi-instrumentalists, have written many amazing modern folk songs including some very powerful ballads, including the hit “Brooklyn,” from a decade ago, which naturally turned into a massive sing-along. An excellent and sublimely dynamic two-hour set, which included a guest appearance by the Avetts’ patriarch, Jim Avett, provided for a very rich evening of great live music. The vocal blend of the Avetts and their band is top notch, certainly worthy of CSN.