November 24th, 1996: Crowded House, led by Neil Finn, plays to an audience estimated at a quarter-million on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

March 23rd & 24th 1998: An all-new band, fronted by Neil Finn, plays to a somewhat crowded house of 130 people at TABAC, a small bar in the heart of downtown Auckland.

Some might say it's a bit of a step down, but it certainly was an extremely intimate way to take those first steps as a solo artist. Somehow the three band members and frontman all managed to squeeze onto a matchbox-sized stage tucked in behind the door. The 90-minute set was laden with brand new songs for which Neil was slightly (and unnecessarily) apologetic; "Look, your not going to know any of these, but we'll play something a little more familiar a bit later."

The opener, "Last One Standing," was vintage Finn, with one of those lines which is so evocative it is hard to belive it has not been comitted to song previously:

"And you are magnificent, and I can see you with my eyes closed..."

The lack of a second guitar player in the new band is perhaps the reason Neil's guitaring more fierce than has been heard in years. Another new song, "Loose Tongue" is framed with a scorching guitar riff. Naturally not all the songs are as ferocious. Neil's knack for the grand pop ballad are realised in "Dream Date" with it's agonizingly slow chorus, and "Spirit of the Staircase", an ode to the clever things one wishes one had said during an argument once it is over.

After a few more songs, including the upcoming album's first single "She Will Have Her Way," the first of the Crowded House songs were played -- the still rather new "Not the Girl You Think You Are" was given a run-through, with the band still finding it's feet.

On both nights, Neil remained on the stage alone for part of the set, armed with his acoustic guitar to take a couple of requests. On the first night the audience were treated to "The Devil You Know", "There Goes God," and "Four Seasons in One Day." The next night "Pineapple Head," "Fall at Your Feet," "Four Seasons in One Day," and "Distant Sun" kept the crowd pleased.

The second half of the concert was again dominated by showcase tunes. The threatened "psychadelic pacific gothic" sound (as Neil once joking described his new direction in a post-Crowded House interview) seems to be an apt desciption of the moody title track "Try Whistling This".

A bit of shenanigans ensued with "Twisty Bass", where Neil played bass guitar, while the bassist Robert played chopped wah-wah-infused lead guitar licks. The vocal hook "and no-one came to see, the only show in town" certainly didn't ring true for these two concerts as a group of eager fans strained to catch a glimpse of the proceedings from the pavement outside.

The concert hit full-stride with the ripping "King Tide," then a raw "Private Universe" from the final Crowded House studio album. At the point where the band would vacate the stage prior to an encore, Neil figured there was actually nowhere to go, so the band just turned their backs on the audience and played some interlude music, as the crowd unnecessarily chanted for "more!" To wrap things up, still more guitar play was employed on the closer, "Suffer Never" from the "Finn" album.

There didn't seem to be any songs which would have beyond the reach of Neil's former bandmates Seymour, Hester and Hart, but Neil appeared to love being the focus of attention for the entire show, something he had to work hard at in Crowded House. There was a noticeable change in lyrical direction evident in the new songs, not a single mention of "kitchens" or "knees" to be heard. Let's hope that this doesn't lose him any of his current fans.