Graham Nash bares 50 years of songs – and the stories behind them – at Golden State Theatre.

For his current tour, Graham Nash decided to strip down his songs to their roots – a small band and some conversational breaks to lay out for the audience some of the inspiration behind the music.

“Presenting them in an intimate way is working,” Nash says with more than a hint of wonder in his voice. “I’m kinda shocked.”

This is a man who filled arenas to overflowing, who played a set at Woodstock. He’s been performing for five decades – with The Hollies, the legendary Crosby, Stills and Nash (and sometimes Young), as well as solo. He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and the Songwriter Hall of Fame twice. And he’s “kinda shocked”?

“I know I’ve played in front of hundreds of thousands, but I’m loving the smaller theaters,” Nash adds. He points out that he can see the crowd’s reaction, look people in the eyes. “I want to be there making music for them.”

Nash brings his tour to Monterey on Oct. 7, in support of his album Over The Years, covering his work from the ’60s to today. The collection of 15 songs fills a unique gap: There were greatest hits albums covering The Hollies and CSN, but not of Nash’s deep catalog.

When Nash set out to compile some of his greatest hits into a two-disc collection, however, he wasn’t satisfied with the usual remix and remaster format.

Yes, he prepared a side of memorable classics, from “Marrakesh Express” – rejected by The Hollies, it became the first to chart for CSN – to 2016’s introspective “Myself At Last.” But he filled the second disc with early demo versions and songs in a stage of development, with a dozen never released to the public. These are the bare outlines of pieces that would come to define moments. He wanted the listener to understand what was in his mind as a piece began to take shape. The tour is an attempt to create that familiarity live on stage – songs presented in their purest form, anecdotes that help bring the audience to a place and time.

“Every one of my songs is from a personal experience,” Nash says. “Before I write about anything I have to feel something.”

With only guitarist Shane Fontayne and Keyboard veteran Todd Caldwell for support, the performances are basic, emphasizing 50 years of music – “Carrie Anne,” “Our House,” “Wasted on the Way.”

“I’ve also been doing ‘Bus Stop,’” Nash reports. Clearly he’s having a great time ransacking a deep catalog and decades of memories.

AN INTIMATE EVENING OF SONGS & STORIES WITH GRAHAM NASH 8pm Sunday, Oct. 7. Golden State Theatre, 417 Alvarado St., Monterey. $56-$100; VIP packages available. 649-1070, goldenstatetheatre.com