It's safe to say the Post-Gazette Pavilion would not have been a good place Sunday night for one of George Bush's little talks about spreading "freedom."

In fact, judging by the crowd reaction, Neil Young easily could have gotten a two-thirds majority for his bold sentiment of "Let's Impeach the President."

The controversial song struck during the encore of the three-hour Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young show and was enhanced by video clips of the president "flip-flopping" on his positions regarding the search for bin Laden and Saddam's link to Al-Qaida.

It seemed to draw unanimous support from the choir, which had to know what it was getting into when it crossed the gates of the amphitheater.

"Some of the things we're singing about aren't too fun tonight, but they're real," Graham Nash said of the Songs of Freedom '06 Tour, which has been drawing a mix of criticism and praise from fans and editorial writers.

On this page, you'll get praise for the first set and criticism of the second, and politics are only part of the equation.

Set one was all passion and fire relating to love, war, rebellion and protest, things people loved about the band in the '60s. Six of the 14 songs came from Young's slapped-together protest album "Living With War," beginning with the opener "Flags of Freedom," which sounds a good deal like "Chimes of Freedom" -- just like "Families" sounds like "Bobby Jean" and "Roger and Out" like "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." Nevertheless, Young is at his best when his passion is running high, and it was in peak form on "The Restless Consumer," on which he was literally bouncing up and down lashing out at media hype with "No more lies!"

These aren't Young's best songs by far, and some, like the title track, are awkward melodically, but his three partners made the record sound better with their still-stunning harmonies.

They carried through the peace theme on an electrifying "Carry On," which had the old Buffalo Springfield guitarists Stills and Young in a sparring match, with Stills shredding the high notes and Young storming in with walls of feedback. They locked horns again on a majestic "Wooden Ships," Crosby's anthemic "Almost Cut My Hair" and Nash's "Military Madness," with Young looking thrilled to be part of it.

It set up high expectations for a second set that proceeded to flip and flop. There were a few gems, like "Helplessly Hoping," "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Our House," but the energy waned during this mix of duos and trios, as too many of the songs (Stills' "Treetop Flyer" and "Old Man Trouble," Nash's "Milky Way") could have been scrapped or replaced by better ones. Crosby, saying his throat "was blown," scratched "Guinnevere" (always a highlight) from the set but did rally for "Carry Me." They picked up the pace at the end with the bouncy "Teach Your Children" and the bright sing-along "Southern Cross."

A cappella set-closer "Find the Cost of Freedom" came with photos and a countdown of soldiers who have died in the war, setting up a stormy encore with "Let's Impeach," complete with a giant yellow ribbon and lyrics on the screen, a high-powered tour of '60s midwest battlegrounds "Chicago" and "Ohio," and the ripping climax of "Rockin' in the Free World."

Just as in '70, when these four guys unite -- backed by a band of ringers in keyboardist Spooner Oldham, drummer Chad Cromwell, bassist and Pittsburgh native Rick Rosas, pedal steel player Ben Keith and horn player Tommy Bray -- there's a ridiculous amount of talent and song catalog on one stage. And it's still potent despite all the white hair.

Some are saying this one is too much of a political rally (including an angry e-mail that came from a fan yesterday morning). Here's my take: Whether or not I was on the same page with CSNY in 2006, I'd rather see these '60s veterans rally with a mission than walk through the greatest hits.