Stephen Stills and Judy Collins

November 11, 2018

Miller Theater

Augusta, GA

Review by Joseph Hett

Stephen Stills And Judy Collins Continue Their Affair In Augusta

Stephen Stills and Judy Collins stopped in Augusta, Georgia on a chilly Sunday night at the historic Miller Theater. This was billed as the 50^th anniversary of their infamous relationship. Collins said the buzz around their short term affair would end up lasting longer than the actual relationship.

At the beginning of the show, there was an announcement that no cell phones or electronic devices would be allowed. Security waited along the walls to chastise rule breakers.

Stills, Collins and the band came out for “Handle With Care” and “You Don’t Have To Cry.” Stills was armed with his guitars while Collins held onto her 12-string throughout the evening.

During the show, the two told intimate stories about their relationship and song facts. You could tell there is still a connection the way they looked at each other during these stories. The two would remain on stage together all night, except for a break here or there.

Stills reiterated that he does not like the distractions of today’s modern technology. He told a story about being taught to read by his grandfather. The newly installed phone ended up ringing, interrupting the reading session, and the grandfather said it was not a constitutional right to have to answer. He also told a story about having a meeting and being annoyed by the lack of attention of the other person busy texting. I believe it is safe to say that Stills does not like cell phones. They then went into “Virtual World.”

Collins shared that Stills inspired her to write “Houses” – since he had so many houses back in the day. Stills then quipped that he had many houses, now he has few.

Before they performed Bob Dylan’s “Girl From The North County,” Stills told a story about being on tour and making a stop in Dylan’s hometown of Hibbing, Minnesota.

Collins stood in the center of the stage for an a cappella song called “Dreamers.” It was a politically charged song about a child being deported.

The 12-string of Collins really got to chugging for “Highwayman.” Collins spoke about the song’s legendary writer, Jimmy Webb.

As soon as “Southern Cross” started, everyone in the theater perked up a bit for the classic tune from Crosby, Stills and Nash.

Stills mentioned that the song coming up has been used over the years for different movements. They then played the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth.” Stills provided amazing guitar work, as he had throughout the entire set.

Stills said, “So you like those types of songs?” They then went another Buffalo Springfield tune, “Bluebird.” This included an extended jam session between Stills and bassist Kevin McCormick.

For the encore, they pulled out the one and only “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” — the song Stills wrote about Collins.

Seeing the two finally go on tour together for the first time was priceless. Their voices still sound as good as 50 years ago, especially when harmonizing. It probably helped that the venue has excellent acoustics. These two looked in good health and show no signs of slowing down.