My new Nick Seymour designed Crowded House t-shirt

And some hair action. Darkness is the new light.

In another 11 years time, all of Sydney would remember that day in November 1996 when the band played until Don’t Dream It’s Over. The entire 4+ million people will say they were there; just like Woodstock.

Starting with Neil Finn’s personal favourite song, Private Universe; a song where Matt Sherrod can show his drumming metal — to the final Better Be Home Soon; the crowd swooned and sang along.

At times the concert was like a Neil Finn revival meeting for yuppies. Whilst Crowded House wasn’t cool in the 1980s and early 1990s, they certainly are now. High FM radio rotation songs such as Weather With You, Four Seasons in One Day and Don’t Dream It’s Over become hymns for all to sing along to. And the crowd certainly joined The Crowdies in the old classics. It’s strange how you will sing along with 10,000 other people yet never do so in an office.

New songs, like all new Neil Finn songs, were let lose with album matching quality. It is the band that recorded the original songs; even with a hirsute Liam Finn joining his dad for two songs. Two news songs: Pour Le Monde and Silent House resonated most with the audience.

A little journey into Kraftwerk-inspired disco spilling into Split Enz Spellbound, and back again demonstrated the musicianship of the group. A bunch of blokes getting together and entertaining. Giving a voice to those uncool enough to like the Crowdies; but not hiphop.

1.0 will be remembered. And can never be replaced. We miss you Paul. Is it Crowded House sans Paul Hester? Yes, but 2.0

The above blog post obviously shows Neil Finn at a recent LA gig from Crowded House.

“Ads by Google” on the right show a Crowded House advertisement. From liveearth.msn.com. Why didn’t MSN come to me directly and rid themselves of the middleman? I would, and have, posted about this concert for free! Now google are getting a cut!

Sadly, I will miss this concert as I’ll be in Japan on holiday. I am sure I’ll be able to watch replays across the broadband.

Neil Finn quoted from spinner.com, top 5 song writers:

• Bob Marley
• John Lennon
• Paul McCartney
• David Bowie
• Neil Young

I am not a major Bob Marley fan, and Neil Young is a little too folksy for me. The others: Lennon/McCartney and Bowie. Yes.

Dave Mustaine, lead singer of Megadeth.  In a column called My List, artists share what songs mean a lot of them and Mr. Mustaine chose Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” as his #1 pick.

“I hear this wherever I go,” says Mustaine of the melancholy love song off the Aussie’s band’s 1986 debut.  “I could be having the absolute worst time, but I hear this and it brightens my day.”

This is Crowded House all over. One listen to Neil Finn and my day gets brighter, too, Dave.

(Photo: Matt Sherrod, Neil Finn from video clip Don’t Stop Now)

Neil Finn and Crowded House at their best. video: Watch the video now

Guitar weirdness at 2:20 and lyrical changes at 3:00 into the song. Love it.

Crowded House will be releasing their first studio album since 1993’s
Together Alone this summer, which includes two tracks featuring Smiths
legend Johnny Marr.
Time On Earth will be released on July 2nd and will be preceded by the
single Don’t Stop Now on June 25th.

Source: Crowded House Album to Feature Johnny Marr

And full album track-list here:

http://www.nme.com/news/crowded-house/27923

‘Nobody Wants To’
’Don’t Stop Now’
’She Called Up’
’Say That Again’
’Pour Le Monde’
’Even A Child’
’Heaven That I’m Making’
’Silent House’
’English Trees’
’Walked Her Way Down’
’Transit Lounge’
’You Are The One to Make Me Cry’
’A Sigh’
’People Are Like Suns’

NineMSN will be streaming Crowded House for the Live Earth concert later this year.

In the middle ages of the web, Neil Finn hosted a webcast from his studio somewhere in Auckland. Avril and I watched, emailed and listened to Neil do our request and song online. This was in stark contrast to the very personal concert to the massive 1996 Farewell to the World show only 5 years earlier.

This morning, the reformed Crowded House webcast from Peter Gabriel’s UK studios (yes, that Peter Gabriel). Evidently, Peter was serving canapes and red wine outside the studio for the attendees.

Sometimes music is like sausages; you love the end result but never want to see what goes into the making. Watching Crowded House in these early stages of formation where it was a little loose could have put off an unsuspecting watcher.

Generally, people who write poetry or music when younger lose their edge when older. Life has stabilised, and there is little occuring that tugs the emotion strings of the lyricist. Neil and the band have had the tragic death of Paul Hester to deal with; and this flows through the new songs. From what I heard, the chord progressions are typically obtuse Neil but strangely the lyrics have a directness, not heard in recent Finn works.

The vibe was relaxed, the band feels like a bunch of old friends getting together. I hope this reformation is a cathartic experience for all; and the demons can be exorcised.

Knowing the quality of Beck’s percussion, this is going to lead into some interesting directions.

Time for musicians, and capturing a zeitgeist is something that is embodied in their work. The songs represent at time in their personal lives, and the journeys they have been on.

Yes, I will buy the album and listen.

Would I go to a concert? Yes. Would I buy any new material recorded and released? Yes. Would I think that this is the old Crowdies? Probably not. You could probably call me a Crowded House fundamentalist, in a way. Anyway, it’s early days and I can be converted.

After further thought and consideration, it’s about the music. Life goes on, and history will never repeat.