by Laurie Knight

Last night's Neil Finn concert in Wellington was fabulous. The atmosphere was very relaxed, it looked like Neil felt at home. About 17 listies gathered for dinner beforehand, then never quite managed to regroup at the Town Hall.

Stereo Bus, the opener, weren't great. I found their songs rather repetitive: chiming guitar overdose. The audience was pretty unenthusiastic; they were there for Neil. Stereo Bus knew it -- they even made jokes about having his toilet paper for sale.

When Neil finally took the stage, it was a relief. He looked good, getting a bit wrinkly 'round the eyes, but looking suave in a brown suit and white shirt. Typical Neil hair -- charmingly awry. [End Hair & Pants report]

He played almost every song from TWT, plus many CH and SE songs. In fact, it was an incredibly long set, pretty much 2 hours long.

Neil carried on the CH-style banter pretty well single-handedly. Often, he'd look around, as if looking for Nick or Paul to joke with, but none of the tour band was really up to the task. The guitarist in the bad suit tried to fill Paul's shoes, but didn't measure up. So mostly, Neil talked to the crowd. He played requests and answered all the usual "I love you Neil" calls.

[Yes, I'm the one who yelled "Identical Twin" near the end of the show, which Neil heard as "Wellington" and joked that at least we knew where we were. Even my hubby next to me didn't understand; he said it must be my foreign (Canadian) accent.]

Liam played guitar and drums alternately through the night; he looked like yer typical weedy teenager, and not particularly enjoying the spotlight. I wonder what it's like for him, or anyone who grows up with a famous parent. Actually, what I really wonder is whether Neil passes the joint to Liam on the bus at the end of the night... (you know how most parents are hypocritical about their kids not doing what they do.)

It was a great night overall. Neil relaxed and started to really enjoy himself midway through, when he started pulling out the oldies. I'm glad that I caught him at the beginning of the tour, when he and the band are still fresh and energetic.

One more thing: The T-shirt table in the lobby was selling autographed TWT CDs and SWHHW singles for $30 and $10 respectively. If you haven't already bought them, get them at the concert, autographed, for the same price you'd pay in the store.