Photo: Eleanor StillsCrosby, Stills & Nash wrap up their 2012 tour schedule tonight with a special concert at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.  During the show, the last of the group's five-gig engagement at the famed venue, the folk-rock legends will perform their self-titled 1969 debut album from start to finish for the first time ever live.

Speaking with ABC News Radio at a recent opening reception for an exhibit of his artwork and photography, Graham Nash talked about what prompted the band to decide to play the Crosby, Stills & Nash album in concert.

"It's been such an incredible year for us," he declared.  "We started in January, we did the [CSN 2012] DVD in April, it came out in May, it's been in the top 10 since the day it came out…We've done some tremendous concerts.  It's been really fabulous this year and we thought, 'OK, how're we gonna wrap this up?'"

The singer then pointed out how he and David Crosby had been impressed when they saw Steely Dan play its 1976 record The Royal Scam at the Beacon a while back.  "So, we had the idea that maybe we should try and do the first album from start to finish," he said.

Nash admitted, however, that as of Thursday night, he and his CSN band mates hadn't run through the album yet.  He added, "It can be terrifying, but we'll manage."

Looking back on the 2012 tour, meanwhile, Nash recalled one of his favorite highlights.

"[Seeing a group of] 16-to-18-year-old Latino, beautiful girls standing on the front row, bowing to Stephen Stills after every solo in South America," he declared.  "Unheard of!  Don't tell me that Stephen didn't feel f**king great at that.  This is not The Beatles.  We're 70 years old, and to see these beautiful young girls bowing to Stephen in respect was a great moment for me."

Besides playing music this year, Nash also has focused on his art and photography, and has attended a number of exhibitions of his work over the last few months.  The displays feature pieces he created utilizing a variety of techniques, including painting, sketching, collages and silk screens.

The singer admits that, for him, making music and making art complement each other.  He notes, "If I'm not working on music or if I'm stuck on a verse of something, I'll go, 'Ah, f**k it, let's start sculpting or…let's do some linoleum cuts or let's take another photograph or let's paint another picture.'  Then I come back to the music and I'm fresh."  So, it's just this energy that I have that is constantly pouring out of me.

As for which art form he finds most challenging, Nash says painting. "The truth is I have no idea what I'm doing," he explains.  "I mean, there are some incredibly brilliant, brilliant painters, and I'm still trying to learn…and I'll be learning for the rest of my life."

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio