CPR’s Crosby Sounds Happy to Be Alive

Surrounded by family, friends and with a near-capacity crowd at the Wiltern Theatre, David Crosby glowed with happiness on Saturday, as former Crosby, Stills & Nash colleague Graham Nash and others joined his new band, CPR, to help him celebrate the simple joys of existence.

The comfortable flow of the two-hour performance, which mostly featured CPR’s jazz-textured songs and some older Crosby favorites, was jolted by Nash’s appearances. He sat in during a couple of numbers penned by Phil Collins and opening act Marc Cohn, who both joined the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer on stage. Later, Nash and Crosby offered a rousing take on Neil Young’s “Ohio.”

A few years ago, such onstage camaraderie seemed a thing of the past for Crosby. But after his drug-and alcohol-damaged liver was replaced, he met for the first time his adult son, James Raymond, a songwriter-keyboardist who had been given up for adoption in infancy. They joined with guitarist Jeff Pevar, and CPR released its self-titled debut recording in the spring.

Backed by a drummer and bassist, the trio often punctuated its sincere musings about love, family and self-respect with soaring vocal harmonies that recalled Crosby’s most famous works. If Pevar’s incessant guitar wrangling proved tedious, Crosby’s singing offered redemption, ringing clear and true with a deep appreciation of just how sweet life is.