Crowded House and Split Enz

[coolian2]

I have a severe fear of missing out if they're in such hot form

 

[Axver]

Only a matter of minutes before the first show begins. I'm here in the front row on Mark Hart's side getting super excited. They soundchecked Recurring Dream today and I will be so stoked if they play it. Sometimes they start with it and that would just be perfect. Except I'm not sure how it could get better from there!

 

[cobl04]

And here I am, down $250+ because I booked a ticket, flights and accom when I had a prior commitment.


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[Axver]

Cobbs.

First show was awesome. Here's the set: Crowded House Concert Setlist at Forecourt, Sydney Opera House, Sydney on November 24, 2016 | setlist.fm

I just posted some quick thoughts on Frenz. I'll copy them here:

1. I love that the first thing I got to hear of this wonderful run of shows was the soundcheck of my favourite song, "Recurring Dream". Shame it didn't actually make the set, but it did sound a little rustier than the others. Hopefully it'll be in the mix tomorrow!
2. Great to have Tim for four songs! "Chocolate Cake", with a sly dig at Trump, was the most fun song of the night.
3. Or maybe "Sister Madly" was the most fun. I'm so glad to finally get to hear it live.
4. Playing "Italian Plastic" for Hessie was a really nice touch. I'm not a big fan of the song but quite enjoyed it tonight.
5. But the highlight, the absolute best part of the show, was the mid-set run of "Fingers of Love", "Private Universe", and "Hole in the River". Haunting and evocative. Mark killed it on lap steel for "Private Universe".
6. The band seemed in fine form and good humour, feeding off an enthusiastic crowd that really sung along nicely.

One more comment: I was very surprised "When You Come" didn't make the set tonight. Thought such a perfect live track would be a lock. Well, I'm sure it'll show up at one of the next three!

 

[cobl04]

I'll get over it. I've seen them before and I'm sure this won't be it for them. I'm lucky to be in a decent position financially at the moment. And a little glad I didn't get a ticket for tonight if there was no When You Come ? easily my fav Crowdies song.

Set seems a bit short (and a little generic), how long did they play? And a bit of a shame at the lack of Time on Earth and Intriguer material.


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[Moonlit_Angel]

2. Great to have Tim for four songs! "Chocolate Cake", with a sly dig at Trump, was the most fun song of the night.

Ooooooh . What'd they say about Trump?

Yay for Tim joining in on the fun!

5. But the highlight, the absolute best part of the show, was the mid-set run of "Fingers of Love", "Private Universe", and "Hole in the River". Haunting and evocative. Mark killed it on lap steel for "Private Universe".

Oh, man, I would've killed to hear this combo of songs.

That's a great setlist. I would've enjoyed the hell out of that. Glad you had a fun time!

Also, to cobl. I know the feeling of missing out. It sucks.

 

[Popmartijn]

I got my first of the reissues today (ordered all of them except Time On Earth as that one wasn't available yet). Coincidentally, it's their debut arriving first. Spinning it now.
Lovely band, looking forward to hear the bonus stuff (which will have to wait until tomorrow as it's almost midnight here). And I never mind hearing their albums again (and again).

 

[kiwilad]

That middle evocative trio... their best, I reckon. Hole in the River and Fingers of love my two fave Crowded House songs.
Was the FoL guitar solo as good as the 1996 Opera House stunner?

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[Axver]

Sorry, most of this is just copied from Frenz again. It's late!

Just got back from the show. Here's the setlist: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/...tralia-6bfa424a.html

Quick thoughts:

1. They soundchecked Recurring Dream again; didn't play it again! It is the only song to be done at both soundchecks and the only song from either soundcheck not yet played.
2. The first eight songs were magic, better than the first night. The run from "Whispers and Moans" to "Private Universe" was out of this world, one of the most spine-tingling sequences I have experienced at any gig ever (context: I go to about 70-80 shows per year).
3. "Nails in My Feet" is just superb; the ending absolutely soared.
4. More with Tim tonight - they added "How Will You Go" to the main set, and he got two songs rather than one in the encore.
5. I really didn't care for "Not the Girl", the crowd didn't seem to care for "Either Side of the World", and as much as I enjoyed "How Will You Go" it seemed to fall a little flat.
6. I would definitely say Thursday night had the better crowd and atmosphere, though tonight was not poor by any stretch of the imagination.
7. We got two songs from Time on Earth this time; "Pour le Monde" was pretty good.
8. There was a very humorous moment around "Pour le Monde" and "Don't Dream It's Over" when some fireworks started going off over the harbour! I've no idea what it was actually for but Neil joked they had arranged it. Fantastic timing.

On the whole, although the early going was superior tonight, I would say night one was the better show overall. It had for me a slightly better setlist (even with "Nails in My Feet" tonight) and I just enjoyed the overall atmosphere and experience more in the end. But holy god, songs 5-8, I will never forget how overwhelming that was.

Set seems a bit short (and a little generic), how long did they play? And a bit of a shame at the lack of Time on Earth and Intriguer material.

Both shows have been 2 hours, maybe slightly over. Neil had a go both nights at the Sydney lockout and at the usual sound restrictions on Opera House forecourt shows (though they have been somewhat waived for these gigs). In particular he's been giving sarcastic shoutouts to Alan Jones and the residents of the nearby apartments. It's been great.

As noted above, more Time on Earth tonight. I'd love "Saturday Sun" to show itself from Intriguer. Tomorrow, maybe! I'm expecting "Silent House", "English Trees", or (god I hope not) "She Called Up" could be in the mix too.

I got my first of the reissues today (ordered all of them except Time On Earth as that one wasn't available yet). Coincidentally, it's their debut arriving first. Spinning it now.
Lovely band, looking forward to hear the bonus stuff (which will have to wait until tomorrow as it's almost midnight here). And I never mind hearing their albums again (and again).

Enjoy the bonus tracks. The Afterglow bonus disc is really good, possibly the best of the bunch. The discs for the two most recent albums are unexpectedly strong too, and I'm quite fond of some of the stuff added to Woodface. Temple of Low Men's disc is a bit thin on new material, as you'd probably expect, but it does have good mixes of the Byrdhouse live material with Roger McGwinn that is worth the price of admission alone.

 

[Axver]

Speaking of that Afterglow bonus disc, I really can't get enough of this Crowded House version of "Loose Tongue".

 

[Axver]

Ooooooh . What'd they say about Trump?

Oops, meant to quote this in last post. In the "Elvis Presley walks out of the 7-11" bit, Tim added "followed by Donald Trump". Didn't do it again tonight.

There was also a funny moment during the first gig when Neil said they were about to do another song, but before he could introduce it or give a title this one woman screamed very loudly. He remarked "that was a very optimistic scream - we need more optimistic screaming right now", and riffed on it for the rest of the night as a subtle allusion to what's going on in the world. Tonight he hinted at that a bit more too; "Don't Dream It's Over" both nights has taken on added passion and weight with the lyrics about "they try to build a wall between us/don't ever let them win/we'll never let them win".

 

[corianderstem]

Shut the front door, Ax. My friend just sent me a screenshot of a message they received on the forum. "Do you know Alicia K?"

LOLOLOLOL. Yep, those are the friends I mentioned. Small world.

 

[Axver]

Ahahaha that's amazing! I thought it was worth asking, even if I expected to make a fool of myself. I always get asked if I know So-and-so in New Zealand as if there are only ten people in the country!

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

3. "Nails in My Feet" is just superb; the ending absolutely soared.

I'd LOVE to hear that one live sometime. I love that song so much.

Oops, meant to quote this in last post. In the "Elvis Presley walks out of the 7-11" bit, Tim added "followed by Donald Trump". Didn't do it again tonight.

There was also a funny moment during the first gig when Neil said they were about to do another song, but before he could introduce it or give a title this one woman screamed very loudly. He remarked "that was a very optimistic scream - we need more optimistic screaming right now", and riffed on it for the rest of the night as a subtle allusion to what's going on in the world. Tonight he hinted at that a bit more too; "Don't Dream It's Over" both nights has taken on added passion and weight with the lyrics about "they try to build a wall between us/don't ever let them win/we'll never let them win".

Niiiiiiice . That's awesome.

(The "Elvis Presley walks out of the 7-11/followed by Donald Trump" thing sounds like it should be the beginning to one of those "three men walk into a bar" type jokes .)

Thanks for sharing your concert-going experiences. I'm so jealous, but it's great to see you're having so much fun .

Someday I will make it to Australia and New Zealand. Someday...

 

[prbiker15]

3. "Nails in My Feet" is just superb; the ending absolutely soared.

So jealous. Hope Recurring Dream makes it to the set!

 

[Axver]

Tonight the band took it to another level, hooooly shit. Where to even begin? Well, I guess a link to the setlist: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/...tralia-3bfbb870.html

Without a doubt the best of the three so far. They were loose and energetic, the song selection great, and the crowd really into it.

1. I was planning to bring a sign for "Kare Kare"! Didn't need to. It was sublime.
2. My next request would've been "There Goes God". It and "Kare Kare" are two of my top ten Crowdies songs. (Now the only two left I haven't heard are "I Am in Love" and "Sacred Cow", both the longest of long shots.) "There Goes God" was huge fun and segued into "Weather With You"; during the transition there was some humour after somebody threw a bra on stage - and Neil then threw it at Nick.
3. Those of us in the front row did pretty good work with requests via paper plane and voice. It paid off with a fantastic "Now We're Getting Somewhere" in the encore. Possibly the highlight of the night just for being so much sheer unbridled fun.
4. Though there was also that version of "Sister Madly" - forget Thursday's version! Barely a correct lyric was sung and it was hilarious, especially when Neil and Nick got into a conversation mid-song about seeing The Velvet Underground in Paris in 1995 and sharing a bed; "that would be fine now," Neil said, "but back then I put a pillow between us!"
5. I could keep going and going with the highlights. "Into Temptation" was really beautiful; "Hole in the River" one of the best I've heard; fireworks going off at the start of "Private Universe" surreal; "Whispers and Moans" has torn it up all week; I will never tire of "In My Command".
6. Every night Tim has got one more song than the night before. Bring on the huge Woodface extravaganza tomorrow!

Absolutely buzzing after this show. Of the gigs I've seen I doubt anything will beat the first Forum show in Melbourne, 2008, but geez this is up there.

 

[kiwilad]

Loving these reviews so much. Thank you!

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[KhanadaRhodes]

Shut the front door, Ax. My friend just sent me a screenshot of a message they received on the forum. "Do you know Alicia K?"

LOLOLOLOL. Yep, those are the friends I mentioned. Small world.

small world, and it's getting smaller
there's no getting away from it all in a small world

 

[bono_man2002]

Is Time on Earth getting a LP reissue?

As I sit here contemplating my mistakes in life, not going to Sydney, I'll just order all the reissues!

 

[Kieran McConville]

Tonight the band took it to another level, hooooly shit. Where to even begin? Well, I guess a link to the setlist: http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/...tralia-3bfbb870.html

Without a doubt the best of the three so far. They were loose and energetic, the song selection great, and the crowd really into it.

1. I was planning to bring a sign for "Kare Kare"! Didn't need to. It was sublime.
2. My next request would've been "There Goes God". It and "Kare Kare" are two of my top ten Crowdies songs. (Now the only two left I haven't heard are "I Am in Love" and "Sacred Cow", both the longest of long shots.) "There Goes God" was huge fun and segued into "Weather With You"; during the transition there was some humour after somebody threw a bra on stage - and Neil then threw it at Nick.
3. Those of us in the front row did pretty good work with requests via paper plane and voice. It paid off with a fantastic "Now We're Getting Somewhere" in the encore. Possibly the highlight of the night just for being so much sheer unbridled fun.
4. Though there was also that version of "Sister Madly" - forget Thursday's version! Barely a correct lyric was sung and it was hilarious, especially when Neil and Nick got into a conversation mid-song about seeing The Velvet Underground in Paris in 1995 and sharing a bed; "that would be fine now," Neil said, "but back then I put a pillow between us!"
5. I could keep going and going with the highlights. "Into Temptation" was really beautiful; "Hole in the River" one of the best I've heard; fireworks going off at the start of "Private Universe" surreal; "Whispers and Moans" has torn it up all week; I will never tire of "In My Command".
6. Every night Tim has got one more song than the night before. Bring on the huge Woodface extravaganza tomorrow!

Absolutely buzzing after this show. Of the gigs I've seen I doubt anything will beat the first Forum show in Melbourne, 2008, but geez this is up there.

They should break out Catherine Wheels, that is if they don't or haven't.

 

[cobl04]

He got Recurring Dream tonight. Cum all over the Sydney Opera House.


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[Axver]

lT WAS AMAAAAAZZZZINNNG.

I just watched it on the broadcast, and I screamed so loudly in the intro that I totally missed Neil flubbing it completely on first go. But unfortunately my little heckle beforehand didn't make it. After Neil remarked about how nice it is to have bandmates to tell you when you're going to play the wrong song, I yelled out "the right song is Recurring Dream" and could not fucking believe it when IT ACTUALLY WAS.

WHAT A WEEK.

 

[prbiker15]

Having a blast watching the broadcast. Glad you had an amazing time, Ax - must be going through some serious post-show(s) depression.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

G'day logging in for the first time in aaaaaaggggeeeesss to say I saw your mug on the telly last night Axver.

A lot.





Good to see you were having a good time

 

[kiwilad]

Does anyone have links to that broadcast???

 

[Vlad n U 2]

lT WAS AMAAAAAZZZZINNNG.

I just watched it on the broadcast, and I screamed so loudly in the intro that I totally missed Neil flubbing it completely on first go. But unfortunately my little heckle beforehand didn't make it. After Neil remarked about how nice it is to have bandmates to tell you when you're going to play the wrong song, I yelled out "the right song is Recurring Dream" and could not fucking believe it when IT ACTUALLY WAS.

WHAT A WEEK.

That's all I can add.

 

[Moonlit_Angel]

I want to check out this broadcast, too!

I love your excitement, Axver, it's so infectious . So happy you got to hear your song .

Also, hi, blueeyedgirl !

 

[Axver]

Having a blast watching the broadcast. Glad you had an amazing time, Ax - must be going through some serious post-show(s) depression.

Still coming down from how good these were, especially nights three and four. I don't want this to be over, not one bit. At the end of last night I was actually about to complain that it was the shortest show until I checked the setlist and realised it was the second-longest! It shot by, it was crazy. Especially the middle of the main set, from "Whispers and Moans" through to Tim taking the stage.

G'day logging in for the first time in aaaaaaggggeeeesss to say I saw your mug on the telly last night Axver.

A lot.





Good to see you were having a good time

Oh my god look who it is!

Haha I was thinking "gee the whole country's going to cop my ugly mug, I hope it won't be obvious if I accidentally sing the wrong lyric!"

Does anyone have links to that broadcast???

Does this work? https://www.facebook.com/ABCTV/videos/vb.38437995542/10157710845245543/?type=3&theater

It's also on ABC iView but that's presumably geoblocked.

But I understand sometime this week they're going to announce broadcast dates for New Zealand (and the UK).

 

[kiwilad]

Doesn't work but thanks for trying and I'll pick up the NZ broadcast when it comes. Yay!

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[bono_man2002]

So I ordered 5 LP's (Self Titled, Woodface, Afterglow, Intriguer and Together Alone) I already own Temple, and it still plays fine. Time on Earth appears to be delayed a few weeks, so that's fine.

$7.50 shipping for 5 LP's, you can't go wrong!