5/17 @ Cohoes Music Hall

“A rotating lineup of local talent—Matt Plummer, Mike O’Donnell, Chris Carey, James Gascoyne, and Matt Griffin, along with a few special guests—brought the album to life in full, plus a mix of deep cuts and solo favorites from the CSNY universe.”

It was a warm Saturday night in Cohoes, and by 7:30 p.m. every seat in the historic Music Hall was filled. A sold-out full house–the anticipation was contagious. What brought everyone there was the 55th anniversary tribute to Déjà Vu, the iconic Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album that helped define the Laurel Canyon folk rock era of the 70s. And while I didn’t know much about CSNY going in (okay, anything), I left with a deep appreciation and the kind of post-show high that only comes from a night that delivers way more than expected.

Put on by A Zan Strumfeld Show, the latest example of why Strumfeld has become such a beloved force in the Capital Region, this performance didn’t just check boxes. It felt like magic. Strumfeld herself didn’t perform, but her fingerprints were all over the experience: thoughtful, intimate, intentional. The kind of show that makes a big space feel small in all the right ways.

A rotating lineup of local talent—Matt Plummer, Mike O’Donnell, Chris Carey, James Gascoyne, and Matt Griffin, along with a few special guests—brought the album to life in full, plus a mix of deep cuts and solo favorites from the CSNY universe. Let me tell you, they nailed it. The group brought hits, harmonies, and heart in spades. They had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands.

They made the Music Hall feel like both an arena and a living room. This was a tribute, sure, but it felt more like a love letter; not just to the music, but to the feeling that music like this creates. That joyful, nostalgic, soul-stirring wave of connection. Strangers dancing. Harmonies flying. Smiles wide. People who just wanted to hear good music and spend a night together doing it.

Griffin on drums was a standout, locked into the pocket all night and never once letting it go. Carey on keys and vocals? Unreal. Playing strange, angular chords with one hand while layering in freaky, delicate harmonies with the other. It’s otherworldly. Plummer’s voice hit me like a ton of bricks–part angel, part rocker, coming out of this innocent-looking and soft-spoken guy who absolutely floored the room. O’Donnell shredded on guitar and brought powerhouse vocals, too. As I later found out, I was sitting right next to his dad, wife, and kids, which made the night feel even more full-circle. Kind, welcoming folks who were clearly just as in awe as the rest of us.

Gascoyne on bass brought it all together with a grounded, soulful presence. I had the chance to talk to him after the show; he told me about the process of pulling this together, what it meant to play that room, and most of all, how much fun he had. That joy came through every second.

The band, as well as Strumfeld, stuck around afterward to greet people and thank them personally. No one rushed out. It was one of those nights that you just didn’t want to end.

Favorite songs? “Almost Cut My Hair”–feral, in the best way. So much emotion, so much grit. The lyrics are so raw and real, and Plummer’s vocal delivery had me captivated from start to finish. The title track “Déjà Vu” sent me into an out-of-body experience. That song alone was worth the price of admission. It felt like a five-minute acid trip that I had no choice but to sit back and take.

Even as someone new to this world, someone who only recognized Our House when it came on and had a little ohhhhhh moment, I was swept up in something bigger than myself. Those harmonies, those time shifts, those strange and beautiful compositions that have endured for over 50 years, they’re no joke. And hearing them live performed by a group of local musicians who poured every ounce of themselves into it? That’s the kind of thing you carry with you.

Zan Strumfeld, you’ve done it again, curating a night that reminded us what it feels like to be part of something special.

And to Matt Plummer, Mike O’Donnell, Chris Carey, James Gascoyne, Matt Griffin, and every guest who stepped on that stage: thank you. You didn’t just perform those songs, you lived inside them. You let us in. You gave us joy and grit and harmony and humor. You gave yourselves.

I came in not knowing a single lyric, and I left humming half the setlist. That says something. About the music, sure, but mostly about the people who played it.

The whole thing was so loose, joyful, and weird in all the right ways. A room full of people just happy to be there, held together by songs that somehow still hit like they were written yesterday. Exactly the kind of Saturday night you hope to stumble into. No opener, no fanfare, just one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time.