Seven Worlds
Crowded House are the definitive Australasian band. There can be no argument to that, especially after Tuesday night's concert, at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
The gig began with special guests, Augie March. These guys come from Melbourne, and when I first heard of them (and saw their lead singer on Spicks & Specks) I thought they'd be something super-duper alternative and weird, a la The Grates or some other experimental band who have difficulty making music. I wasn't expecting much, so it doesn't say much that my expectations were exceeded. What I should say is that they were blasted out of the water. Seriously, they were that good. I was muchly impressed, and fully intend to buy Moo You Bloody Choir in the morning, or whenever the hell I wake up.
But as good as they were, Augie March are not Crowded House, and soon Neil Finn and Co. were up on stage, beginning with a fabulous rendition of my old favourite, Private Universe. This high energy, thumpingly good intro was just a taste of what was to come, though. Neil Finn, Nick Seymour (or is that "Soymir"?), Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod expertly crafted a show of older, universally known hits, lesser-known gems, and the latest offings from their latest studio album, Time on Earth. In the first category, Don't Dream It's Over would, by rights, have stolen the show. However, Weather With You captured the audience's hearts so completely that even the ushers forgot what they were supposed to be doing, while Locked Out, possibly the finest Paul Hester-driven song ever, was so unbelievably energetic that you'd almost have thought the much-missed drummer was still banging away at cymbals and running through laneways, furiously shaking maracas like his life depended on it. Speaking of Hester, no one could ever replace him, but Sherrod, who used to play with Beck, seems to have been both the most logical and perfect choice to take his place.
About midway through the concert, Neil decided that it was time to pull out one of the very old favourites, and with Nick, Matt and Mark offstage, he sat down at the keyboard and belted out a magnificent rendition of the Split Enz classic, Message to my Girl, which made more than a few people in the crowd bleary-eyed with emotion. That's not to say it was only the old, old material that got playtime; in addition to the likes of Fall at Your Feet, little-known songs, such as Hole in the River, got a rousing reception, and Time on Earth fans were rewarded with pitch-perfect performances of Transit Lounge, Say That Again, Pour le Monde and Don't Stop Now. After two encores, the extravaganza closed with Better Be Home Soon, and the audience left, $80 out of pocket but just that little bit richer than when they arrived.
If you haven't yet bought Time on Earth, or are completely uninitiated in the art of Crowded House, buy now. Don't even hesitate for one second. And if they come back, bite the bullet and get yourself a ticket. I guarantee you I'll be there, too.
The gig began with special guests, Augie March. These guys come from Melbourne, and when I first heard of them (and saw their lead singer on Spicks & Specks) I thought they'd be something super-duper alternative and weird, a la The Grates or some other experimental band who have difficulty making music. I wasn't expecting much, so it doesn't say much that my expectations were exceeded. What I should say is that they were blasted out of the water. Seriously, they were that good. I was muchly impressed, and fully intend to buy Moo You Bloody Choir in the morning, or whenever the hell I wake up.
But as good as they were, Augie March are not Crowded House, and soon Neil Finn and Co. were up on stage, beginning with a fabulous rendition of my old favourite, Private Universe. This high energy, thumpingly good intro was just a taste of what was to come, though. Neil Finn, Nick Seymour (or is that "Soymir"?), Mark Hart and Matt Sherrod expertly crafted a show of older, universally known hits, lesser-known gems, and the latest offings from their latest studio album, Time on Earth. In the first category, Don't Dream It's Over would, by rights, have stolen the show. However, Weather With You captured the audience's hearts so completely that even the ushers forgot what they were supposed to be doing, while Locked Out, possibly the finest Paul Hester-driven song ever, was so unbelievably energetic that you'd almost have thought the much-missed drummer was still banging away at cymbals and running through laneways, furiously shaking maracas like his life depended on it. Speaking of Hester, no one could ever replace him, but Sherrod, who used to play with Beck, seems to have been both the most logical and perfect choice to take his place.
About midway through the concert, Neil decided that it was time to pull out one of the very old favourites, and with Nick, Matt and Mark offstage, he sat down at the keyboard and belted out a magnificent rendition of the Split Enz classic, Message to my Girl, which made more than a few people in the crowd bleary-eyed with emotion. That's not to say it was only the old, old material that got playtime; in addition to the likes of Fall at Your Feet, little-known songs, such as Hole in the River, got a rousing reception, and Time on Earth fans were rewarded with pitch-perfect performances of Transit Lounge, Say That Again, Pour le Monde and Don't Stop Now. After two encores, the extravaganza closed with Better Be Home Soon, and the audience left, $80 out of pocket but just that little bit richer than when they arrived.
If you haven't yet bought Time on Earth, or are completely uninitiated in the art of Crowded House, buy now. Don't even hesitate for one second. And if they come back, bite the bullet and get yourself a ticket. I guarantee you I'll be there, too.
posted by bodie at
01:10
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