Crowded House - Thursday, 8th November 2007 - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
I'm a huge fan of Crowded House. Most people probably know that. I'm hardcore to the extent that I attended their small club show at the Corner Hotel earlier in the year.
And yet, strangely enough... I enjoyed their Rod Laver Arena concert more than the ultra-intimate Corner Hotel gig. I'm suspect that I mentally hyped up the Corner Hotel gig to ridiculous extremes and kind of felt disappointed in the end, when it didn't live up to whatever heights I expected of it. Truthfully, it was a great gig and on listening to an audience recording of the gig recently, I realised how much fun it was! Lotsa audience interaction, some obscure songs (Walking on the Spot! Recurring Dream!), and just the thrill of a band that would usually play in a stadium, playing in a quite small pub. Oh, and they finished with Sister Madly!
But well... Crowded House in stadium mode, with all the bells and whistles, really is something else. It's quite the spectacle (multiple backdrops, weird set-pieces, greyhounds... yes, greyhounds), and there's plenty going on as well. The general consensus indicates that it was an excellent concert: I've talked other people and they've echoed my thoughts about how great it was.
Before the show though, there was the small matter of going to the soundcheck. To really hammer home how much of a groupie of the band I am, as well as the Split Enz, the Finn Brothers and their solo work, I'm actually a Life Member of the "Frenz" fanclub. Seriously. One of the perks is that there is occasional opportunities to sit in on a Finn related soundcheck. It's a one-off thing, once you've done it, you can't do it again, but when the opportunity arose, I decided to take it.
I actually had to leave work early, and arrive at Rod Laver Arena by 3:30. I was one of the last to arrive, at about 3:15 (heh!) and there was maybe about 12 or so other people... I recognised a few people from the Corner Hotel gig as well! Unfortunately the soundcheck was pushed back to 4pm, and there was some trouble actually getting into the venue, but it was a great experience. Really bizarre to watch the band rehearse their songs in a near empty stadium, and best of all, they asked for requests, and actually played the songs that got called out.
(Typical at that moment I had to mentally blank. On reflection, I probably would've requested something obscure, like In the Lowlands... or even better, Love This Life)
Soundcheck (that I saw / heard):
The show itself... well, The Walls were... alright, though I don't remember much about them, and despite Carmen disliking Augie March, I quite enjoyed their short set. Glenn Richards didn't throw a tantrum, either. Bonus!
As for Crowded House, here's their setlist:
Set:
The show started particularly well: Private Universe made an excellent opening choice, starting off quietly with just simple finger-picking, but built up into a monstrous wall of guitars and drums, and Neil messing with his guitar pedals. And the following songs were all pretty kick ass as well. Whispers and Moans concluded with a ridiculously wailing guitar solo, Don't Stop Now fits in well with all the other old songs (I still think it's a great song!) and Mean to Me is... (what do you know....) fun live.
The song choices were pretty cool as well: a lengthy version of Hole in the River which included part of the folk song The Parting Glass in the outro, Silent House came complete with some noodling at the end, and Heaven That I'm Making is really growing on me, and it also included some jamming in the middle. And sure, Pour le Monde starts pretty slowly, but it builds up into a big guitar solo showcase for Mark Hart, and it's a really fine song. Neil also changed the lyrics from "for the world, not for the war" to "for the world, against the war", and the appropriate French equivalent. No idea why they played A Sigh though.
Too bad people tended to use the newer songs to take their toilet breaks or get refreshments. *sigh* I guess the newer songs lack the bounce of the older songs, and are generally a lot more quieter and moodier. They kinda slowed the show down a bit, I think...
Anyway, throughout the show there was plenty of sing-a-long opportunities (Fall at Your Feet, Weather With You, Don't Dream It's Over, Four Seasons in One Day, etc..) plenty of witty banter between Neil and Nick, some occasional jamming, and as the show continued, more and more stage elements were revealed. The backdrops changed throughout the show, and more set-pieces were added, starting with the tree on the new album's front cover, later some structures like those on the cover were raised up, and just before the first encore, a rather large caravan prop, complete with a little (working) lamp in the window was wheeled onto the stage.
Weirdly enough, between the main set and the encore, a whole group of greyhounds invaded the stage! Why, I'm not sure, to be honest. I think it was something to do with a "Greyhounds as Pets" program. I knew they were coming, since I read about it happening at previous shows, and it was mentioned during the soundcheck, but it's still weird...
Seriously though, what neat encores: the first one focussed on the up-tempo classics (Locked Out! Something So Strong! World Where You Live!), while the second one wound the show down. Four Seasons was dedicated to Paul Hester, and played with the only light on being the little lamp in the caravan (which Davey had to go turn on), and Better Be Home Soon is actually a pretty appropriate finisher. At the very end, Matt (Sherrod, the new drummer) pulled on a rope attached to the tree, which revealed a bird's nest, complete with mama and baby birds. Cute. (No, not real birds... look on the cover artwork for the tour version of the album.)
So yes, that's the show. I've probably written a few hundred thousand words on the matter than I should have, but who cares... they're one of my fave bands. And this is my journal, damnit! And yes, it was fantastic. Hopefully the next album / tour doesn't take another 11 years. (Oh, and Split Enz have reformed to do some shows in NZ!)
Say, anyone want the original CD + DVD version of the album? I want to upgrade my copy to the tour version!
Anyway, look after yourselves!
And yet, strangely enough... I enjoyed their Rod Laver Arena concert more than the ultra-intimate Corner Hotel gig. I'm suspect that I mentally hyped up the Corner Hotel gig to ridiculous extremes and kind of felt disappointed in the end, when it didn't live up to whatever heights I expected of it. Truthfully, it was a great gig and on listening to an audience recording of the gig recently, I realised how much fun it was! Lotsa audience interaction, some obscure songs (Walking on the Spot! Recurring Dream!), and just the thrill of a band that would usually play in a stadium, playing in a quite small pub. Oh, and they finished with Sister Madly!
But well... Crowded House in stadium mode, with all the bells and whistles, really is something else. It's quite the spectacle (multiple backdrops, weird set-pieces, greyhounds... yes, greyhounds), and there's plenty going on as well. The general consensus indicates that it was an excellent concert: I've talked other people and they've echoed my thoughts about how great it was.
Before the show though, there was the small matter of going to the soundcheck. To really hammer home how much of a groupie of the band I am, as well as the Split Enz, the Finn Brothers and their solo work, I'm actually a Life Member of the "Frenz" fanclub. Seriously. One of the perks is that there is occasional opportunities to sit in on a Finn related soundcheck. It's a one-off thing, once you've done it, you can't do it again, but when the opportunity arose, I decided to take it.
I actually had to leave work early, and arrive at Rod Laver Arena by 3:30. I was one of the last to arrive, at about 3:15 (heh!) and there was maybe about 12 or so other people... I recognised a few people from the Corner Hotel gig as well! Unfortunately the soundcheck was pushed back to 4pm, and there was some trouble actually getting into the venue, but it was a great experience. Really bizarre to watch the band rehearse their songs in a near empty stadium, and best of all, they asked for requests, and actually played the songs that got called out.
(Typical at that moment I had to mentally blank. On reflection, I probably would've requested something obscure, like In the Lowlands... or even better, Love This Life)
Soundcheck (that I saw / heard):
- A Sigh
- There Goes God
- Whispers and Moans (Request)
- Everything is Good for You (Request) (twice)
- Not the Girl You Think You Are (Request)
- She Called Up
The show itself... well, The Walls were... alright, though I don't remember much about them, and despite Carmen disliking Augie March, I quite enjoyed their short set. Glenn Richards didn't throw a tantrum, either. Bonus!
As for Crowded House, here's their setlist:
Set:
- Private Universe
- Mean to Me
- Don't Stop Now
- Fall at Your Feet
- Whispers and Moans
- Heaven That I'm Making
- She Called Up
- Hole in the River > The Parting Glass
- When You Come
- A Sigh
- Silent House
- Don't Dream it's Over
- Pour le Monde
- Distant Sun
- Weather With You
- Locked Out
- Something So Strong
- World Where You Live
- Fingers of Love
- Four Seasons in One Day
- Better Be Home Soon
The show started particularly well: Private Universe made an excellent opening choice, starting off quietly with just simple finger-picking, but built up into a monstrous wall of guitars and drums, and Neil messing with his guitar pedals. And the following songs were all pretty kick ass as well. Whispers and Moans concluded with a ridiculously wailing guitar solo, Don't Stop Now fits in well with all the other old songs (I still think it's a great song!) and Mean to Me is... (what do you know....) fun live.
The song choices were pretty cool as well: a lengthy version of Hole in the River which included part of the folk song The Parting Glass in the outro, Silent House came complete with some noodling at the end, and Heaven That I'm Making is really growing on me, and it also included some jamming in the middle. And sure, Pour le Monde starts pretty slowly, but it builds up into a big guitar solo showcase for Mark Hart, and it's a really fine song. Neil also changed the lyrics from "for the world, not for the war" to "for the world, against the war", and the appropriate French equivalent. No idea why they played A Sigh though.
Too bad people tended to use the newer songs to take their toilet breaks or get refreshments. *sigh* I guess the newer songs lack the bounce of the older songs, and are generally a lot more quieter and moodier. They kinda slowed the show down a bit, I think...
Anyway, throughout the show there was plenty of sing-a-long opportunities (Fall at Your Feet, Weather With You, Don't Dream It's Over, Four Seasons in One Day, etc..) plenty of witty banter between Neil and Nick, some occasional jamming, and as the show continued, more and more stage elements were revealed. The backdrops changed throughout the show, and more set-pieces were added, starting with the tree on the new album's front cover, later some structures like those on the cover were raised up, and just before the first encore, a rather large caravan prop, complete with a little (working) lamp in the window was wheeled onto the stage.
Weirdly enough, between the main set and the encore, a whole group of greyhounds invaded the stage! Why, I'm not sure, to be honest. I think it was something to do with a "Greyhounds as Pets" program. I knew they were coming, since I read about it happening at previous shows, and it was mentioned during the soundcheck, but it's still weird...
Seriously though, what neat encores: the first one focussed on the up-tempo classics (Locked Out! Something So Strong! World Where You Live!), while the second one wound the show down. Four Seasons was dedicated to Paul Hester, and played with the only light on being the little lamp in the caravan (which Davey had to go turn on), and Better Be Home Soon is actually a pretty appropriate finisher. At the very end, Matt (Sherrod, the new drummer) pulled on a rope attached to the tree, which revealed a bird's nest, complete with mama and baby birds. Cute. (No, not real birds... look on the cover artwork for the tour version of the album.)
So yes, that's the show. I've probably written a few hundred thousand words on the matter than I should have, but who cares... they're one of my fave bands. And this is my journal, damnit! And yes, it was fantastic. Hopefully the next album / tour doesn't take another 11 years. (Oh, and Split Enz have reformed to do some shows in NZ!)
Say, anyone want the original CD + DVD version of the album? I want to upgrade my copy to the tour version!
Anyway, look after yourselves!