TWO YEARS ago, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young went on the road with their Freedom of Speech concert tour, which they timed to coincide with the mid-term American elections.
CSNY were icons of the peace and love era in the late 1960s, and were at the forefront of performers opposed to the war in Vietnam. Reunited to address another war in 2006, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were determined not to leave their audience with "warm, fuzzy feelings".
Neil Young's fascinating documentary of that tour pulls no punches in recording just how divisive the audience response was when they played Atlanta. There was nothing warm or fuzzy about the feedback when they launched into Let's Impeach the Presidentwith the lyrics displayed on a huge screen behind them, just in case anyone might miss the point.
The audience reaction became a cacophony of cheers and booing, with many storming out in disgust and making their views plain to Young's film crew.
Nobody can accuse Young of producing an unbalanced movie in CSNY: Déjà Vu.He invited Mike Cerre, a veteran war correspondent who has reported from Vietnam and Iraq, as an "embedded" journalist to capture the opposing points of view during the Freedom of Speech tour.
It's clear from the Atlanta concert footage that many people came for the music, not the politics. There is an obvious irony about an audience paying to see a show titled Freedom of Speech and yet refusing to listen to the unapologetically outspoken views of a band who are well known for never having wavered in their political consistency.
One of the many cultural commentators quoted on the soundtrack makes the point that there was a time when topical political songs routinely figured on mainstream radio playlists, whereas more recently acts such as The Dixie Chicks have been ostracised for stating their views.
Another clip features CSNY performing Chicagoand singing the chorus line, "We can change the world". Which prompts the viewer to ponder if art - be it music or movies - can change the world, or if the band is just preaching to the converted.
What's undeniable is that this documentary represents a potent fusion of politics and music, featuring a remarkable quartet of survivors against the odds.
At 62, Young is clearly as fuelled by creative energy as he ever was, and fully recovered after being hospitalised with a brain aneurism three years ago. Stephen Stills has had survived prostate cancer and David Crosby has survived decades of excess. They continue to thrive musically, along with the Englishman in the band, Graham Nash, who hasn't lost his Lancashire accent since he left The Hollies and moved to California 40 years ago.
To paraphrase a Neil Young lyric, long may they run.
