MEN of a certain age can wear a tee shirt with the slogan 'old guys rule', and that was certainly the case as hippy veterans Crosby, Stills and Nash wowed the BIC with a nigh-on three-hour set.

And, not being a combo to rest on their considerable laurels, there was plenty of newer stuff in amongst the protest tunes, anti-war material and plain old love songs.

Despite complaining of jet lag, CS&N turned in an at times brilliant performance which, typically for Bournemouth, began with the audience in hushed reverence and ended with a standing ovation.

All the classics were there: Carry On, Marrakesh Express (being rather tossed away as the second song), plus Southern Cross, Cathedral, Love The One You're With, Teach Your Children Well, Our House, Chicago, Guinnevere, Almost Cut My Hair and so many more.

The five-piece band, including David Crosby's long-lost son on keyboards, had a pretty good pedigree (members playing also with Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, David Gilmour) and provided an excellent engine behind our heroes.

At times it seemed like N&CS as the perky, barefoot 71-year-old Manchester lad and former Hollies mainman Nash appeared to be the bandleader and did a great deal of the talking.

His harmonies with Crosby, for whom simply reaching the age of 72 must be regarded as an achievement, are as strong as ever - and that really is the raison d'être of the bunch.

They still fit so well together, even if the whole thing was a little over-amplified, that at times it was just sublime, especially on the great acapella protest number What Are Their Names Nash drives the others on, the great songwriter still coming up with relevant material.

However, to my mind the star of the night was the gnomic Steven Stills, a brilliant, idiosyncratic guitarist and gruff - sometimes absolutely melodic - singer whose solo moments, such as Treetop Flyer and Time Gone went down a storm.

The boy in the band at a mere 68, Stills continues to ensure CS&N retain a rock'n'roll feel; indeed, a lot of the night was much heavier than had been anticipated - and it was all the better for that.

The days of the hippies may be long gone (although one or two were spotted in the audience), but with this trio still railing lucidly and eloquently at the injustices of the world, their spirit lives on.