Crowded House In New Zealand.

Yes, where are you guys??

Finngirl??

Ah, so it isn't just me who thinks that it is far too quiet after the first NZ gig. I was wondering if I had my time zone/DST calculations screwed up and somehow was one step ahead of myself (har).

If it's Sunday here, which means that it's Monday there...thus must be a review waiting to happen.

Of course, it *is* pretty early in the morn over there at the moment. I'm sure that we'll see some review action in a few hours when everyone has recovered and had a strong cup of coffee.

NZ is waking up.....

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4253719a1860.html
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1501119/story.cfm?c_i...19&objectid=10472663

I wondered when Tim would hop up there with the guys. Sounds like it was a grand one!

Finally, some news! Sounds amazing. Now - all we need are a few first-hand frenz reports and some video, and we all be magically transported....would be great to see them in front of the home crowd(s).

Great to hear the Tim was with them. I was hoping for that.

Nice surprise..that Tim was with them. Can´t wait for the frenz reviews

Well, last night Neil had no need to encourage the crowd to stand up. I think it may have been down to the support acts, who were both very good and very energetic, so the audience was well warmed up I almost thought that CH were going to be upstaged by Supergroove, wow did those guys put on a show!

Opening song was Private Universe, with Matt almost sounding like a full complement of Maori log drummers on his own. Very powerful. Second song (I think) was Don't Stop Now, and two guys went down to the stage, one of them gesturing the rest of us to follow. It didn't take long. I ended up just in front of Neil, and spent the rest of the show (over two hours) in the company of some very enthusiastic fans, all dancing, singing and clapping. OK, so the Vector Arena is bland and cavernous, but I didn't notice

Neil commended the guy who had started the dancing, saying he had a good command of the audience, and Nick went off to get a torch to pick the bloke out.

Tim played on WWY and It's Only Natural, and Don McGlashan did harmonies on a Sigh (yes, and it was wonderful) and played on English Trees which followed.

There were no covers or 'unusual songs', and not that much banter, it was really like a huge singalong party.

Davey Lane is still with the band - he seemed to be enjoying himself, and his harmonies are good. For all the discussions about the necessity of a fifth member, at several times last night there were six of them.

I didn't manage to get a setlist I'm afraid, and my memory is hopeless, but I'll post a few pics later. Matt was also snapping the crowd as he left the stage

Highlights for me were Private Universe, Say That Again, In My Command, A Sigh and Fingers of Love. One fantastic night.

But what on earth was that with the greyhounds???

A few photos now here. Not many and not that good (the one of Mark is very grainy).

There were several professional photographers in the arena, so some good shots may turn up.

gotta say, I had an amzing time last night and it was VERY VERY good, not the same as the shows I have already been to (of course one could'nt expect that in a much larger venue)but, still it was more than worth coming down here for

the set list

Private Universe
4 Seasons
Don't Stop Now
Fall At Your Feet
Say That Again
Walked Her Way Down
When You Come
In My Command
Silent House
Locked Out
A Sigh (with Don McGlashan)
English Trees (ditto)
Mean To Me
Distant Sun

Encore 1

Something So Strong
Weather With You (with Timmeh )
It's Only Natural (ditto)

Before the second encore there were about 8 greyhounds running around on the stage in support of the greyhounds as pets project and Neil commented on how beautiful the doggies were and that he loves them... awwwww


Encore 2

Fingers Of Love
Mean To Me
Don't Dream It's Over

H&P

Neil was in a grey suit and almost white shirt with a stripey tie (which he said Nick told him to wear, but he did'nt know why he listened)

Nick was in his white suit and Mark in his dark suit and Matt was wearing a sort of mustardy yellowish shirt and deep orange tie

Ohhhhhh yes, my row buddies 3 & 4 seats down were none other than Emlyn Crowther and Mr Eddie himself

ahhhhh good stuff


Wish I could of waited after the show but my last ferry was only 20 minutes away and it was pouring rain plus I seem to be getting Neil's sniffles. I did try and take some photos but they did'nt work at all sorry guys

and it was wonderful to meet you alucidor, you are awesome

Wow nice show for yours truly to re-enter touring life! Despite the flu bug seeming to be around band, crew, staff...it went well. I am still flu-free.

Soundcheck was fun, 12+ clubbers in, the guys acknowledging them, due to the smattering of applause that 12 people could muster in such a large venue. It is almost exactly the same as Melbournes Rod Laver- same company built it I believe ...I get lost in the same places!!!!

A new job was added to my list, band room back stage and dog trainer.8 wonderful retired greyhounds (Nicks idea) and the loveliest people owned them. After soundcheck the dogs rehearsed, we named one Madonna as she kind of took over, refused to let any other dog sleep on the mat (it wasnt her mat).. she also decided to lead the 8 onstage for a run... they seemed to love the crowd and were rather excited- they were the true stars of the night.
We were very careful, if there was a chance the dogs would not be happy it was all off...but they were great- many of us are now interested in having a retired greyhound as a pet. Not sure if banshee the cat will like that idea.

Neil sang so well despite having the flu, Matts hair grew to double the size before going on stage (how does he do that) Nick king of the dogs grabbing Mark and reaching out to the crowd..the addition of Davey Lane was cool- just hearing him playing on his won in the band room was a concert all on it's own.

Fave Songs- When you Come. Locked Out -killers as always, lovely singalongs from a passionate crowd during the usual numbers.... grabbed Tim from his seat upstairs (Tim and Marie and Bic were together)...great to finally see Bics 6 month old baby'her' first gig (with big ear covers)...Tim making the stage with time to spare for his joint-vocal ...a heroes welcome from the kiwis.

All in all a fine night...we felt the love!

Caught up with Eddie Rayner today for some filming and chat- I said I'd remind NZers that he will be on the "Where are they now' Tv show with Space Waltz (tonight or is it tomorow??Check your guides..they are playing I believe).

This is rushed, excuse the typeo's! Next stop Wellington and yes some snaps will be on the website eventually of Crowdies and those dogs. No idea if the dogs will be regulars, like I said being careful the animals are happy (and with greyhounds you can tell)...I think madonna could easily do this every night, the owners are going to have to change her name to that!

Take care and see you on the road
PG

I love reading these reports. Thank you guys.

xo
p

quote:

Neil was in a grey suit and almost white shirt with a stripey tie (which he said Nick told him to wear, but he did'nt know why he listened)

Hee. I love envisioning Nick and Neil having fashion discussions.

Sounds like a great opener for the NZ/AU tour; I look forward to future reviews from all you lucky ducks attending the show.

Not sure if this link will work or not outside NZ but here is a tv piece from New Zealand TV3 tonight:
http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/EntertainmentVideo/...rticleID=37960#video

Love hearing about the greyhounds - hope they are in Wellington too

Excellent.
That Supergroove eh !.
Looking forward to the Welly gig.

Thank You for the heads up on 'Where Are They Now?' Gryphon (aka P.G.).

Now there's a Split Enz link there with Space Waltz, not just Eddie Rayner.

But wasn't Alastair Riddell once asked to join Split Enz, but declined ?.
All promoters should have been in a band like Brett Eccles.
The Chunn brothers, a who's who of the N.Z. music scene.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.vi...e&friendid=109290948

So all we need now is a Split Enz re-union tour of N.Z. to follow on from the 2006 Australian tour, bring the Enz 'home' and lay them to rest, and my life will be complete.

Any ho see all you Wellington Frenz at the gig.

Oh Gryphon i guess if i asked what time the Wellington soundcheck was you wouldn't tell me ?......

So see you all

quote:

Originally posted by UK Jen exiled in NZ:
Not sure if this link will work or not outside NZ but here is a tv piece from New Zealand TV3 tonight:
http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/EntertainmentVideo/...rticleID=37960#video

Love hearing about the greyhounds - hope they are in Wellington too

Excellent link UK Jen exiled in NZ.

TV3 are good for gig news, unlike TVNZ.

http://tvnz.co.nz/content/?q=crowded%20house&style=tvnz

A gr8 concert but disappointing to wait nearly 2 hours B4 CH came on to do their stuff. Is that the norm?!! Wished they'd done a couple more songs off the awesome Time on Earth, but overall a cracking concert.

quote:

Originally posted by newbornbabe:
A gr8 concert but disappointing to wait nearly 2 hours B4 CH came on to do their stuff. Is that the norm?!! Wished they'd done a couple more songs off the awesome Time on Earth, but overall a cracking concert.

Excellent.
Interested to know how long were C.H. on stage for Newbornbabe ?.

Some good reviews here.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501154&objectid=10472677

Thanks for the reviews and thanks Gryphon for the heads up. See you Frenz in Wellington.

I'll have a name tag on (with LISA on it), just to be different. lol

See you all.

Cheers Lisa.

"Private Universe" was an inspired and unexpected choice for opening song. Worked a treat. It was great to witness how tight Crowded House have become musically since the fan club show in July. I'm very much looking forward to hearing what they come up with in the studio next year.

The Auckland audience was in very fine voice. Made me proud.

And Supergroove rocked. So much funk'n'energy. You should have heard the noise the audience made when the lights came on after their last song (the hit "Scorpio Girls" was meant to finish the show but had to be dropped due to time constraints).

quote:

Originally posted by Jaffaman:
"Private Universe" was an inspired and unexpected choice for opening song.

Unexpected, yes, but as I think about it, I can imagine the atmosphere was electric when they opened with it at this long awaited homecoming. What an excellent choice!

Great reviews by everyone - wish I was there, arena or no arena,

Nice reviews everyone, especially the backstage goss from Gryph.

Neil let Nick cut his hair?? After frolicking naked together in the Baltic, what next!

ps they started with Private Universe in Paris

quote:

Originally posted by treegrrl:

quote:

Originally posted by Jaffaman:
"Private Universe" was an inspired and unexpected choice for opening song.

Unexpected, yes, but as I think about it, I can imagine the atmosphere was electric when they opened with it at this long awaited homecoming. What an excellent choice!

Great reviews by everyone - wish I was there, arena or no arena,

It was also the opener in Brussels and it worked fantastically. It showed the new Crowded House in full force and nobody has to doubt the choice for Matt!

-dennis-

Thanks for the reviews everyone! It's nice to see the guys are still getting better and better...

I can't help but wondering if some of the names (Tim, Eddie, Bic, ...) will also be guest at the RAH in December? Tim, if you can spare the time??? Maybe??? Please???
Or Gryphon, for the last show? It would be great.

Oh, and Private Universe was the opener of the second Amsterdam show too. Great choice for an opening song.

Thanks for the reports. I'd love to see a clip of the dogs.

Private Universe is a great opener. I had a huge smile on my face the moment I heard the first notes in Brussels.

Thanx for the reviews, photos and links..sounds like a fantastic night..great idea with the dogs on stage. Have to see the clip if there is one
Erm... no I won´t start a discussion about Neil´s haircut
Sorry to hear that there´s a flu bug in circulation. Hope they get well soon!

I find that tie strangely...frightening.

It's a DAD tie Neil!! Fleee!

LOL...

thanks for the reviews & links..finngrrrll--I tried to spot you in the audience..no luck though.

As an owner of a retired racing greyhound, my second one actually, this thread has been extra special to read. Good on ya Nick and for all you devoted fans out there that don't have a pet, get on board and get yourself a greyhound as they are the most beautiful creatures and make the best pets ever

quote:

Neil let Nick cut his hair?? After frolicking naked together in the Baltic, what next!

To bear repeating--Neil let Nick cut his hair!? When did I miss this tidbit of info being psoted originally? Is it much shorter than it was during the US tour? No more scaffolding/mousse to keep it up in spikes?

quote:

Originally posted by yemanja:
As an owner of a retired racing greyhound, my second one actually, this thread has been extra special to read. Good on ya Nick and for all you devoted fans out there that don't have a pet, get on board and get yourself a greyhound as they are the most beautiful creatures and make the best pets ever

They DO make great pets - I'm going to start a thread over in W2S with some links about where to go to get more info.

ETA: here's the W2S link:
http://frenzforum.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=6131016071&f=1...321088944#6321088944

Hopefully they had some doggy ear-plugs though?

And to bring this back on topic, thanks everyone for the reviews, and especially thanks for those pictures alucidor! Neil looks extremely happy in the end of show pics, triumphant at his homecoming.

Ah, thanks Peter, now I understand about the dogs. They may be retired, but judging from Sunday night, they still remember how to chase a lump of fur, so Banshee had better watch out. For those trying to picture it, a white fluffy 'hare' was pulled across the stage to get the dogs to run from one side to the other - but at least one of the hounds had other ideas!

And another huge thanks to PG for the soundcheck (you know why). It was Finngirl's fault, she's a bad good influence Just kidding FG, your company was truly a pleasure this weekend

Loved the soundcheck, four songs from Time on Earth - English Trees had me in tears, something about that song and the experience just hit the spot.... it'll probably be that memory which will stick with me, great as the show itself was.

Did I spot one of the Finn sisters in the front row? There was a woman with a striking resemblance.

The Visitor - I reckon the CH set was about 2.15 - and good luck with the stage door, I didn't manage it on Sunday. Just as well I took a plastic bag to keep my programme in, because the floor was awash with beer by the time CH came on! The programme is gorgeous btw, hopefully I'll have another chance to get it signed.

Keep checking www.kiwiconcerts.blogspot.com over the next 2 days

quote:

quote:
Neil let Nick cut his hair?? After frolicking naked together in the Baltic, what next!


To bear repeating--Neil let Nick cut his hair!? When did I miss this tidbit of info being psoted originally? Is it much shorter than it was during the US tour? No more scaffolding/mousse to keep it up in spikes?

Hi Anna21, Neil said it in that television clip posted earlier here.

His hair was long and floppy in Barcelona when I saw them - more short and spikey now.

And I like the tie actually - schoolboy rather than Dad look I should say.

Sounds great
Nick seems to be a very talented man..bass player, hairdresser and graphic designer.
Good on ya Nick!

Wellington Soundcheck.

Nice to meet Mr N.Finn, Mr N.Seymour, Mr P.Green, and Antz and all the Frenz.

Better get going Pluto are on stage in 30 mins, checkback later.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3cjmj_neil-finn-stage-door_music





http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38wet_crowded-house-time-on-earth-arena-t

They played for a couple of hours my husband tells me. I couldn't remember. Shame on me!

A couple of hours my husband tells me. I couldn't remember, shame on me!

quote:

Originally posted by thevisitor:

quote:

Originally posted by newbornbabe:
A gr8 concert but disappointing to wait nearly 2 hours B4 CH came on to do their stuff. Is that the norm?!! Wished they'd done a couple more songs off the awesome Time on Earth, but overall a cracking concert.

Excellent.
Interested to know how long were C.H. on stage for Newbornbabe ?.

Some good reviews here.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501154&objectid=10472677

quote:

Originally posted by Mel25:
Sounds great
Nick seems to be a very talented man..bass player, hairdresser and graphic designer.
Good on ya Nick!

Come on now, there must be something missing!

Missed Supergroove.

Blinding set by Crowded House.

Anyone got a set-list ??.

"Don't Dream It's Over" indeeed....Amen
S.R.O. is the way to go.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3cn6w_crowded-house-d...eam-its-over-a_music

Bring the Enz 'home'.

quote:

Originally posted by suzanne:

quote:

Originally posted by Mel25:
Sounds great
Nick seems to be a very talented man..bass player, hairdresser and graphic designer.
Good on ya Nick!

Come on now, there must be something missing!

" Et cetera, et cetera"