Crowded House in Castlebar
Michael Duffy
YOU know the drill by now. Ageing rockers, after an apparent spell in the wilderness, re-unite and trot out some of the old classics on a tour of small venues to make a badly-needed few quid.
Some may have predicted this scenario for the recent Crowded House gigs in the Olympia in Dublin, and more particularly, at the TF Royal Theatre. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
They came in droves from all over the western seaboard to check out New Zealand’s finest and what they got was truly a night to remember.
All four members (Neil Finn (pictured), Nick Seymour, Mary Hart and Matt Sherrof) of Crowded House were simply electric, and their passion and intensity throughout an amazing 24-song long setlist simply invigorated an already enthusiastic Castlebar crowd.
Finn remains one of the world’s best front men, and he sounded as good as ever from start to finish.
The opening three songs epitomised the timelessness of these melody makers, whose songs have charted all over the world for the last 25 years.
The title track from their 1996 (yes 1996!) best of, ‘Recurring Dream’, got the ball rolling, followed by ‘World Where you Live’, which was their second single way back in 1986. This was followed by the band’s latest single from just last month, ‘Saturday Sun’.
The soulful ‘Fall at your Feet’ was an early highlight, quickly followed by other favourites with their fans, ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘Four Seasons in One Day’.
Finn was clearly having a ball, so much so that he even found time to drop in Father Ted favourite ‘My Lovely Horse’ towards the end of the anthemic ‘Chocolate Cake’.
The band, while being hugely successful, have gone through some traumatic times too, and the suicide of former drummer Paul Hester is always brought to mind by the tear-jerking ‘Better be Home Soon’. (Neil Finn dedicated the song to Hester after his death.)
The hits just kept coming with a rousing rendition of the Beatles’ ‘Cry Baby Cry’ followed by a set ending double of ‘Distant Sun’ and ‘It’s only Natural’.
The shouts for ‘Don’t Dream it's Over’ clearly meant an encore was on the cards, and what an encore it was - the timeless ‘Weather with You’, ‘Elephants’, a hugely enjoyable version of Talking Heads’ ‘Road to Nowhere’ and last, but not least, ‘Don’t Dream it's Over’.
It was a night to remember, but not just for the music, as Neil Finn stated. A heavily pregnant woman’s waters broke half way through the gig, and after a tongue-in-cheek request from Neil for a pint, a big-hearted but slightly tipsy fan bounded to stage with a tray of five pints of Guinness for the band, which he duly then spilled all over the speakers (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZFFMetWYeM). Cue a frantic search backstage for towels! A tiny hiccup on the night that will be remembered by Crowded House fans for a long time to come.
Setlist
Recurring Dream; World Where You Live; Saturday Sun; Private Universe; Either Side of the World; Fall At Your Feet; Inside Out; Amsterdam; Black and White Boy; Four Seasons in One Day; Isolation; Archer’s Arrows; Chocolate Cake; My Lovely Horse; Better Be Home Soon; Don’t Stop Now; Cry Baby Cry; Distant Sun; It’s Only Natural.
Encore: Locked Out; Weather With You; Road to Nowhere; Elephants; Don’t Dream It’s Over.
Note: Hole In The River was in the printed setlist before Don’t Dream It’s Over but was not played. Amsterdam, Chocolate Cake and the Road to Nowhere cover were not in the original printed setlist.
