It was an okay show. A decent show. But something was amiss. This was not the Crowded House we're accustomed to. There was hardly any interplay between band members, and very little interaction with the crowd. No song introductions, no stuff and nonsense. Not even a plug for "Together Alone." About halfway through, I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Like maybe I was keeping them from something they'd rather be doing.
The show was slowly paced, basically uninteresting. Without the band's infamous between-song non sequiturs or some faster-paced, playful tunes like "Chocolate Cake," there was nothing to bring up the energy level. This forced the audience to listen, really listen to the music. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But, I don't think that's why people go to a Crowded House concert.
A couple of instrumental introductions caught my attention, especially the pieces that lead into "Weather With You" and "Don't Dream It's Over." These introductions had a fresh, free-form feel, and I kept hoping they would expand on this theme and loosen things up a little. But the interludes were used only as a means to get from one song to another.
The weight of the show seemed to be on Neil. Paul and Nick were not conversing with one another. Mark shared only smiles. And, the few times that Paul blurted out one of his delightful Paul-isms, it was always too brief. So it was up to Neil to keep the flow going. I enjoyed how he re-worked some songs from "Woodface." "Fall At Your Feet," the final song of the night, was exquisite. It was a treat to hear a different version of what I consider to be one of their finest melodies.
The high point of the evening came at the start of the first encore. Unaccompanied, Neil stood at the keyboards on the upper tier and announced that he was going to play a special request. Laughing, he ordered a young couple to get their butts up on stage and start dancing. (Which they did.) Suddenly, he launched into a stunning "unplugged" version of "Message To My Girl." It was simply beautiful.
Neil's voice gets better with every tour. "Hole In The River," while not one of my favorite House songs, was sung with grit and deep conviction. New songs like "Nails In My Feet" and "Private Universe" were showcases for his improved range. And, as mentioned above, older songs such as "When You Come" and "Mean To Me" were reworked to make room for new instrumentation and vocal arrangements.
Overall, I didn't hate the show. But, I have to say I was disappointed. Not only was it uneventful, it was short. Noticeably short. And missing some of the favorite crowd pleasers. And to top it off, as they were about to play "Don't Dream It's Over," Neil told the audience that it wasn't on their set list but they had to add it due to complaints the night before. They were not smiling. They played the song like they were doing us a favor. Geez!
I miss the old Crowded House. I was really looking forward to some good, old fashioned New Zealand wackiness. Just two years ago I was in that same venue watching Paul do a Santa suit strobe-light strip show. It was fun and spontaneous and the band had a wonderful time. I'm wondering if there was a reason for the uneasiness on stage last night. There were some obvious sound system problems, but I don't think that would have been enough to alter their mood so drastically. Could it be they were letting us know that they're through goofing off and want to be taken seriously? I don't think so. Whatever the problem was, I hope they get it worked out. Soon.