Crowded House Play to Adoring Fans in Sydney
“The decision as to when to call time on a band must be a truly wretched one,” Alexandra Spring writes for the Guardian. “[Last week], Crowded House returned to the place where they called time. Exactly 20 years ago, on 24 November 1996 under a full moon, the band played their final Farewell to the World show to 100,000 adoring fans on the forecourt of Sydney’s Opera House.
“This time, 6000 equally adoring fans took their places on a much more safely cordoned off forecourt to see the band return to that stage for the first of four sold-out shows entitled Crowded House: Encore,” Spring writes in a review of the concert.
“Tonight has special significance as it also marks 30 years since Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and the late Paul Hester came together to form a band named after their cramped living quarters. And it comes just one night after the band was inducted into the Arias Hall of Fame.
“Interspersed with the hits, there are stretches of unabashed jamming between the four musicians as they bend, stretch and flex their talents. This is where the band escapes what could be the pitfalls of jukebox poppiness and instead demonstrate their astonishing musical craftsmanship.
“Midway through, the four are joined by one-time band member Tim Finn who plays It’s Only Natural and Chocolate Cake alongside his brother. The younger Finn credits Tim with inspiring him to play music from an early age and their camaraderie and fraternal banter is undented by years of playing side by side in various line-ups.
“Fittingly, the band closes the two-hour show with Better Be Home Soon, sweeping everyone along on a wave of swelling emotion. Earlier Finn thanked the crowd for attending, saying: ‘What a glorious night to be alive on the planet.’ And it’s clear that this is what tonight – and their return – is all about. These are musicians at the top of their game; playful, joyful and thrilled to be back doing what they love best. It seems it wasn’t their time to go after all.”
Original article by Alexandra Spring, The Guardian, November 25, 2016.
Photo by Jonny Weeks.
