Hey Now, Hey Now

The first of this week’s aural hat trick — Crowded House, with opener Pete Yorn — was pretty darn good last night.

We caught the last couple of numbers by the first act — Liam Finn, son of Neil. Very entertaining on stage. I wish we’d caught more of his show.

I hate to say it, but Pete Yorn’s opening set was just okay — and I was with Pete’s biggest Atlanta fan, who agreed. We got the impression he was tired. (He’s still damn cute, though.) His cover of Peter Bjorn & John’s “Young Folks” was good, and he had the whistling down.

I’m a casual, not fanatical, fan of Crowded House. Love their hits, love their brilliant pop sensibilities, but I’m not well versed in their entire oeuvre. There were, however, a lot of the ubers in the house — for the most part, fortysomething guys — and they loved every minute of the show. Lots of fist-pumping and high-fiving and singalongs. I love watching guys get into a performance.




Crowded House kicked off with “There Goes God” (from 1991’s Woodface), and they did a good job hitting highlights from all their albums — “In My Command,” “Hole in the River” (probably my fave of the main set), “Better Be Home” (with Pete Yorn and his mates joining the band), “Fall at Your Feet” (I quit setlisting an hour into the show). I think the band performed about half of the new album (which is quite good).

This was my third time seeing Mr. Finn. Split Enz came to our college radio station studio in 1980, in support of the brilliant True Colors; I was thrilled to meet those young, cute boys. I then saw Crowded House in 1994, at one of their last concerts. I guess I’m on a thirteen-year rotation with them; wonder what they’ll be doing in 2020?

Neil was quite charming throughout the show. You could tell he was having a great time. His voice is still remarkable. I'm going for it, BeckEye: I decided last night that Neil Finn is the Glenn Tilbrook of Down Under, with that sweet voice and knack for perfect pop lyrics.


Neil Finn sang a damn good cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World.” He remarked that, as a teen, he used to drag his guitar to parties and sing that tune, in the hopes of snagging a cute girl … but instead supplied the soundtrack for someone else’s snag.

The big hits were hit during the two encores: “Locked Out” (which was the song I most wanted to hear), “Something So Strong,” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get some Split Enz tunes, but it didn’t ruin the show for me.

Tonight’s show: Andrew Bird, at Variety Playhouse. Looks like it’s going to be a blogger’s delight tonight, with Scrivener, Baby Got Books‘s Tim, and That Truncheon Thing’s Frank also clutching tickets.

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