RAH show

you lucky thing to be there. I am so envious. It must have been fun to see them in their santa hats! I hope there's lots of clips on the net.

oh and the paper on the seats was a really lovely gesture.

Just got back..superb again. I liked the difference, it felt good to hear the 'rare' songs as Neil called them.
A good night-roll on the new stuff(we don't ask for much do we?)

Man what a show.

The best i have seen i think.

Highlights for me were them opening with Recurring Dream. A dream come true. Never seen them play it before.

The crew playing it's Only Natural. Superb and nice handover Mr John Walsh !

Mark slipping the Led Zep riff from Living Loving Maid into......a song. Cant remember which.

Message To My Girl was beautiful. Neil made a phone call to, well he never said but i assume it was Sharon, we all said hello and then he played MTMG for her.

In The Lowlands !!!! At last.

Hole In The River which faded with The Parting Glass. Just what i dreamed of.

Neil proved that he cant play Kashmir after Matt and Nick started it.

Oh i am tired.

Just want to say that if i ever see a better gig then i will be as lucky as hell. If i do, it will be Crowded House playing it.

Oh and Neil said at the end "we will be back next year"

Lets hope so

For now,

Stoat

Thanks for the post-concert reports - I am so envious! I'd love to hear In The Lowlands live...or even to hear the attempt at Kashmir!

quote:

Originally posted by The Stoat:
Message To My Girl was beautiful. Neil made a phone call to, well he never said but i assume it was Sharon, we all said hello and then he

Neil is the best. This is so brilliant to see, after, what is it, 25(??) years of marriage and he is still doing these wonderful cute things like this for his wife. It reminds me of my parents and how so much in love they are after 34 years of marriage. Aw love is great (when it's like this) *apologies for being so sickly sweet *

You lucky people. Sounds wonderful.

More Please!

Oh - When you wake up..sorry but it's the afternoon over here...we're eager for more news and reviews!

Not sure if it has been mentioned before, but we got Nails in my Feet... the one song I had been really hoping for!! Right, it's 3 am, so I better get some sleep...

Great gig, great meeting al of you (again!). As Neil said, full circle.

Battylad, absolutely brilliant meeting you finally!


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Nails in my Feet? I should have been there.

Waiting for ChickFriday's description. With you in spirit CF.

LII


ps: This post, ironically converts me into... The Climber. Still kicking, even after a ground fall.

Sounds like a fantastic night was had by all.

Suuz, thanks for the updates during the day!

What a show - wonderful venue - great atmosphere - agree with all the comments made above - Recurring dream is also a personal favorite - great opener.

Highlight? Difficult, but they played a tremendous version of Private Universe which brought the house down.

Roll on next year...............

Aw, they played my request but a gig too late for me to hear it Nails in My Feet too, superb, sounds like a gig where they just cut loose and played what they liked! Ah well, maybe next time...

Sounds magic. What a way to end the tour hey.

And I think we all need a group hug now because I am feeling so many emotions just reading these reviews

Good morning all.... just wanted to share my thoughts on last night but feeling a bit emotional still...I see a lot of bands live and nothing comes close to seeing CH play live.

They played for the fans last night - some real treats we don't get to hear too often - Recurring Dream, In The Lowlands, Message To My Girl, etc.

The show differed from Wembley in as much as the sheer power and energy of Sunday's show was toned down to something more reflective and fun-based - as I say, a show for the fans. Neil spent a lot of time praising his team, even letting the crew play It's Only Natural (to great applause from the crowd!)

The old trick of paper aeroplane flying in the RAH was a bit distracting but good fun (cheers going up during songs for particularly good flights!)

All I can say is roll on next year and some more shows - maybe smaller venues if that's possible?! Like my front room???? (ever hopeful)

Sounds lke a wonderful gig - opening with Recurring Dream must have been amazing, a particular favourite of mine. Not jealous at all. Humph.

Other memories - Nick's circa 1932 German catwalk impression - looking up to the ceiling and seeing dozens and dozens of paper planes flying round - flashing santa hats - roadies with silly wigs playing drums - santa claus (matt) playing guitar writhing all over the stage - Neil doing mock Shakespeare - Led Zeppelin snippets - etc. etc - awesome

Fantastic performance by John Walsh and the crew on 'It's only natural' - they sounded absolutely brilliant and were watched by Neil & co from one of the boxes!

I have often heard the story that the roadies are as good as the band, and this has finally proved that to be a fact! Bloody marvellous!

In the Lowlands was magnificent, along with Message to my girl & Into Temptation, Neil opened the mobile to Sharon and told her that Message was for her, and spoke to her again after the song, then passed the phone to Nick to say hello!

It's Only Natural was a real highlight and Message to my Girl was just the icing on the cake.

2 amazing, and very different, gigs in a week. I've already had my Christmas. Roll on 2008.

Took two friends last night, one of whom (25) was going to his first ever live gig! Excellent evening. Duke Special were good again and my twelve year old was made up when we went to buy their cd and there were the band to sign it.

Great to hear some of the less played CH songs. It is all too easy for bands just to turn up and play their latest album or greatest hits, and I have to say that CH play a greater variety (just look at the set lists for the last few performances) or their music than any other band I have seen.

Highlights: Good to hear Transit Lounge (not sure if we will hear that live again soon), Private universe was storming. Seeing as many oldies as me, in the boxes, up and dancing from the off.

Great night, roll on next summer.

Andrew

Thank you, thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews, pics and videos Not just from this concert, but all from the UK. It has been great hearing about all the little details from the show, not quite as good as being there, but almost the next best thing lol

Thanks for the lovely reports.

Really sounds like a gig "for the fans", in the best possible way.

*somewhat envious*

What a way to end the tour. Sounds like a real celebration. I think ending the tour with RAH was an excellent idea. Last time Neil and Nick were there the emotions were so different with it being just after Pauls passing.

Wish so much that could have shared this experience with you all.

Well, what can you say about an evening blessed by the presence of Rockin' Saint Nick in Woodstock flashback mode!

The band watching themselves perform from the Royal Box (thanks to the Rockin' Roadies), the paper darts, balloons & santa hats. Although the highlight of the evening was of course, the music.

It was great to hear Transit Lounge & Recurring Dream, among many others, oh & Kashmir, almost A warm & generous evening, & almost like the last night at The Proms, with many classics being aired in the Grand Old Girl.

And so, with the sound of "see you all next year", that was our lot for the evening. Well..at least until the next time.

It was great to share the evening with friends & family. A wonderful pre-Christmas Celebration.

And on that note, Merry Christmas & Peace, Love & Happiness to you all. Ho ho ho.

Ooops, accidentally posted twice, so edited to remove Grinch & with new bits etc...Oh, & a Happy New Year.

Many people claim that Santa was "just Matt dressed up as Santa", but it did remind me of a certain Kalorama Santa who loves to "rock". & a big thanks to that Santa for the pre-sale info & all the goodies he posts out.

So it's a Joyeux Noel again.

quote:

Originally posted by The Stoat:
Man what a show.

The best i have seen i think.

From a fellow Thekla-attendee that's high praise indeed; Last night was damn, damn close but I reckon Thekla *just* shaded it for atmosphere and the sheer visceral thrill of seeing the 4 of them walk out onto that tiny stage for the first time

But what a set-list: 'In the Lowlands', 'Parting Glass', 'Into Temptation' it's almost as if someone had been reading the recent threads here on the Forum

In terms of banter, aside from the Nick Seymour catwalk sashay (sp?) early on, I got the sense that both Neil (explicitly, given his 'full circle' and 'it all started here 2 1/2 years ago' remarks) and Nick (implicitly by dint of the fact he seemed quieter than normal) were in quite a reflective mood which is understandable given the circumstances in which they last found themselves on that stage in that venue.

(The moment early on during FSIOD when Neil addressed the Hall 'unplugged' really brought back the memories of that evening in March)

Notwithstanding all that, it was clear both band and crowd were having a great time, and I feel (as Neil would say) blessed to have been able to see them finish the tour on such a fantastic evening.

How long til 2008?

PS: I grabbed a photo of set-list (thank you to the young lady who patiently held it while my mobile sorted itself out) but am too much of a techno-idiot to post it up.


Unless I was drifting off in state of heightened bliss at the time, Silent House which is mentioned as being the penultimate song wasn't played. Or am I mad?

Well, well, well....

Having racked up a monstrous credit card bill following the band from 92-94 it seemed slightly sureal to be seeing them again after all this time.

Having seen the venues for this UK tour i'd originally not planned to see the guys fearing a repeat of the slightly dissapointing Wembley 94 show. Having loved the small shows i always felt less a part of it in the big halls. But anyway the lure of the best acoustics in Britain was too much to resist. And WOW, i was seriously blessed.

Having got over how much older we all are (some of us fans have NOT aged well, especially me) the show was just fantastic. I read the setlist before hand (on Glen's lighting desk) but realised that, just like the old days, this was a guide and only barely reflected what they would actually play.

Band on fire, acoustics were just the best i've ever heard and a real end-of-term-party feel. Paper planes reminding me of Sheffield on the Woodface tour (the stubby nosed short ones still fly the best), humour in abundance, and the guys just intent on playing whatever songs they felt like, regardless of of their status in the CH back catalogue. A fans dream.

As mentioned before highlights have to be Private Universe and It's only Natural. The later was rocked considerably harder by the roadies than ever by the band. Probably the best covers band in the world......

Today i feel content and very lucky to have been there. And thanks to all you guys who were there for making it a truly special night.

Just to back up what has been said by the previous posts, last night was a fantastic gig. A brilliant set list, I absolutely loved Nails In My Feet, other highlights, were Santa playing guitar, some excellent paper aeroplanes, Only Natural, Private Universe, with the tracks from the new albums making some excellent additions to the back catalogue.

Having been fan ever since the first time I heard Woodface back when I was 14 in 1991, I never got to see the band play back in the 90's. So this was something that I had been waiting some 16 years for and I was not dissapointed. I got to hear Distant Sun live (my favourite crowded house song) which is just a fantastic early christmas present.

If someone has the full set list in order I would love to see it along with any photos/videos anyone took. I have a few poor quality videos taken on my phone of Santa and the begining of a few songs.

Absolutely superb......I'll stop gushing now...

...and nobody has mentioned the two "horn players" from the support (Duke Special) getting up to do "Mean to me", which sounded great!

Any chance we can put together the whole (as played) set list from those of us that were there?

Andrew

I think that Matt had some good rock guitar licks going there! From where I ended up(on the gallery) I couldn't tell it was him so assumed it was one of the roadies.

I would say that Thekla shaded it for me, too. That's because of personal reasons - my wife's first Crowdies gig and she was in the first row. Special indeed. Incidentally all you gents-when she found out that Neil had rang his wife up and dedicated a song to her I got the sense that I need to be more romantic from her, lol. Damn that Neil Finn!! Hope it's the same for you guys or I'll get a complex.

There was one song Neil started on electric guitar(12 string)last night that reminded me a bit of the intro to You Can Touch with that funny guitar noise before the chords come in.
I think it was Nails In My Feet in the end.

Basically, I think it was the band playing for themselves last night. It might not have been great for a casual fan(no Weather With You) but it was that difference that made it special.

quote:

It might not have been great for a casual fan(no Weather With You) but it was that difference that made it special.

Totally agree. I took my wife who is the casualist of casual fans and played her the best of on the way down......as it turns out that didn't help her too much !!!! But for the rest of us it was pure gold .

Last night was amazing. I never really thought I'd have the chace to see a CH gig as I'm a fairly recent convert. It was really different to the Wembley show. It was nice to hear/see the guys indulging themselves and us playing some of the "rare" stuff.
More than anything what really hit me was the atmosphere, a general sense of being glad to be alive and to give thanks although not sure what for. Just a general sense of well being and that life could not possibly get any better.

I did have a minor heart attack and a little arguement with myself when I went to the merchandise stall and had to choose between getting the Wemley CD which we'd been to or the SEC (I think) which had "no the girl you think you are" on it. It happens to be my favourite song in the world, in the end though I went for Wembley becaue I'm a sentimental old fart.

Sorry for the ramble.

quote:

Originally posted by Astro:

quote:

Originally posted by The Stoat:
Man what a show.

The best i have seen i think.

In terms of banter, aside from the Nick Seymour catwalk sashay (sp?) early on, I got the sense that both Neil (explicitly, given his 'full circle' and 'it all started here 2 1/2 years ago' remarks) and Nick (implicitly by dint of the fact he seemed quieter than normal) were in quite a reflective mood which is understandable given the circumstances in which they last found themselves on that stage in that venue.

(The moment early on during FSIOD when Neil addressed the Hall 'unplugged' really brought back the memories of that evening in March)

Notwithstanding all that, it was clear both band and crowd were having a great time, and I feel (as Neil would say) blessed to have been able to see them finish the tour on such a fantastic evening.

I'm glad you mentioned those quotes, as I was wondering if that was part of the reason for ending at RAH. Quite an amazing 'full circle' for them since March 05. There was no need for Neil to say any more than that, either. Along with the noted inclusion of "A Sigh" in the setlist (how's that for circumspect! Wow...), playing an amazing show and having a grand time and the end of their tour is a lovely and fitting way to honor Paul and still maintain the celebration of the occasion.

Hoping to see videos soon so the rest of us can join in from home!

Also have to say, what a lovely birthday week for Nick, who never wanted CH to break up back in the day. Reunited w/ the band, playing to a sold-out crowd at Wembley, gets to see Led Zeppelin the next night, then caps it all off with all the emotion a final show of the tour "where it all started" at RAH. That's big - HUGE. Very pleased for him, especially.

And one more wondering...we know Matt didn't know much about CH, the history, the fan base, etc. before joining. Other than just wanting to play, I wonder what his impressions are of the whole experience. He's really amazing, and the guys seem to love him, so I hope he stays with them (and us!).

quote:

Originally posted by Andrew B:
Any chance we can put together the whole (as played) set list from those of us that were there?

Andrew

I'll give this a go Andrew, but I'm largely PC illiterate so forgive me if it goes horribly wrong:

This should be a (slightly blurry, sorry!) picture of the setlist from last night:-



As I recall there was no Silent House which I think was replaced by Something So Strong.

Any other changes people can remember?

Thanks Astro. That's excellent. Seems about right to me.

[IMG]\\cordata\coruser$\CHall\My Pictures\PICT0507[/IMG]

[IMG]\\cordata\coruser$\CHall\My Pictures\PICT0508[/IMG]

[IMG]\\cordata\coruser$\CHall\My Pictures\PICT0514[/IMG]

Hope this works!

mixed feelings about last night's gig, to be honest...

great to hear some 'rare' songs as Neil (eventually!) described them, particularly Recurring Dream as the opener, that was awesome, as was the roadies playing ION, also i've been longing to hear NIMF live, Neil going without microphone on FSIOD was very special and MTMG to the mystery person on the phone (must have been Sharon, no?) was just a beautiful, beautiful moment... however I have to say Into Temptation was the highlight for me, having suggested it myself on the forum just an hour before I set off!

however, there were a lot of classics missed out - especially WWY and FAYF (my gf had asked me to call her during that song and i kept hanging on for it so in the end she never got a call! ) and from a personal PoV, i love WWYL and have only seen it once in 3 gigs

also i thought some elements of the setlist were a bit illogical, particularly when they played Transit Lounge - nice to hear it, but it came in an encore, just as the people around me in the circle were finally getting into it after a brilliant Mean to Me, sax and all... everyone duly sat down again and never got back up

finally, i hung around after the gig to meet the guys but for certain reasons - I'm not sure I'm allowed to go into them or not?? - they never came out. Met Max before the show but I'm still to meet the musical god that is Neil! maybe next time...

however, seeing such a great band in such an awesome setting - and being at the far end of the Hall, up in the circle, i think i had a better view than most!! - was an unforgettable experience and a brilliant end to the year... regardless of what they play, CH are amazing to watch live

Agreed re: setlist, SC88. I've read before that Transit Lounge doesn't seem to work "live" and last night was the same - Beth Rowley seemed also to "go for it" and then lost her nerve? Would have been better placed earlier in the set. Also "A Sigh" could have been left out - the emotion of the song was lost as many people chose this moment to launch the paper planes!

Minor grumbles...otherwise a superb gig. Great to go to 2 concerts in the space of 4 days (RAH and Brighton) and have 50% of the set different at the second show - how many other bands could/would do that?

Bart,

Which was the better gig in your opnion - Brighton or RAH?

Thank you all for your reports. I'm so jealous, I so wish I could have been there.

The set list is completely different from the other gigs. Usually FAYF is the 4th song, DSN the 2nd or 3rd, now FAYF wasn't played at all. But you got Message to My Girl! That's one song I would have loved to hear live.