There are some voices that I just had assumed I would never get the chance to hear in my lifetime, and if I did, I thought they might not sound as good as they did in the 70s. Sunday night at Ravinia Festival proved me wrong… twice! It was a stunning exhibit of lifelong talent from Graham Nash and his co-headliner Emmylou Harris.

The night started with a Harris/Nash duet, a soulful and heartfelt performance of “Birds” by Neil Young that seemed to be a prelude to the nostalgic evening to come.

Emmylou Harris was better than you could have ever imagined. Her voice seeped into the crowd with such resonance it was difficult not to tear up. With wet eyes, we watched her voice beautifully bound throughout the Ravinia Theatre. Along with her timeless talent, the band that accompanied her was excellent, with almost every member adding vocals and multiple instrumentals. Their voices and musical talent were awe inducing and made the set full, emotional, and most of all, memorable. After a few tears and many jaw drops, Emmylou Harris finished up with an acapella performance of “Bright Morning Star” that felt nothing less than sacred and froze time itself. She then played a lovely rendition of her iconic song “Boulder to Birmingham,” which felt so full circle and was just as gorgeous as the recorded version.

Graham Nash is a legendary musician. With an iconic voice best known for its place in Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, you can tell watching him perform that he is nothing short of passionate about what he puts into the world. The crowd was beaming with excitement when he came on, everyone in equal agreement that seeing Nash live is nearly unreal. He started with some early tracks from his solo work and other band, The Hollies. One thing we quickly learned about Nash is his knack for storytelling. He prefaced each song with a story, many including his musical partners and the inspiration for his lyrics. His voice is striking and forever young; it sounds the same as it always has in his most iconic records. He performed the iconic tracks, “Our House” and “Teach Your Children,” making us both emotional and nostalgic. Nash’s performance, that was accompanied by three talented bandmates, was a delight to watch, especially as a sucker for good harmonies. As everyone in the crowd begged for a longer set (while standing up and dancing) it was hard not to appreciate how lucky we were to see such an influential musician. The Ravinia was full of people who were stunned by the sonic and vocal power that Graham Nash has been providing to the musical world for decades.

We walked out the concert is disbelief, stunned from seeing two artists we never thought we would see in our lifetime and grateful that artists like them have remained performing and creating music for so long, making such an impact in their respective genres that will continue to span across generations.

-Tori and Olivia (of TO Jam)