The first concert David Crosby ever attended
David Crosby fell in love with music at an early age and knew that he wanted to be a performer. When he attended his first concert in person, Crosby was certain about his future plans, and it reaffirmed his ambition to become a singer-songwriter.
While Crosby grew up in Los Angeles, he later moved to Santa Barbara, where he lived for most of his childhood and his formative years. The Californian city is where he studied at college briefly before dropping out and making music full-time before forming The Byrds after hitting it off with Roger McGuinn.
From that moment, his career continued to prosper as Crosby veered his way through a series of musical incarnations, most notably Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The trio reunited many times throughout the decades before parting permanently in 2015. The year before they split up for the final time, the supergroup brought their show to the Santa Barbara Bowl, which occupies a special place in his heart.
He was first exposed to live music to watch The Kingston Trio as a youngster in the outdoor arena. The folkies were a pioneering act that inspired the likes of Paul Simon, Lindsay Buckingham, The Beach Boys, Gram Parsons, and Crosby.
Ahead of Crosby’s return to the venue in 2014, he recalled in an interview with the Santa Barbara Magazine, “The first show I saw there was the Kingston Trio, and I was absolutely thrilled. I was folksy, I loved it! They were very good! I think that’s how far back it goes – my relationship with the Bowl. I consider Santa Barbara my home. I love it very much, and hope to live out my life here.”
During an interview with The AV Club, Crosby also discussed this pivotal moment in his musical life and said, “It was great. They were great.” He continued: “That people could sing folk songs and actually get people to pay for it, which I thought was a pretty neat idea. At that age, I already loved music and singing a little and was entranced by the whole thing. It was really great to see them onstage to see just how much fun singing on stage could be.”
While Crosby was already making music at that point, making a living from his art didn’t seem like a wholly viable option for the singer-songwriter. However, witnessing The Kingston Trio in action was the confidence boost he needed to pursue becoming a professional musician and conquering his dream of stepping on the same Santa Barbara Bowl stage.
