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A version of this review originally appeared on Tongue in the Mail, the mailing list for Crowded House fans. Set List:
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by Marck Bailey At the listie party following a remarkable Chicago appearance by Neil Finn and his band, I was talking with some new friends about the one aspect of this tour that seemed below par. The lack of strong backup vocals at the Pontiac show the night before had nagged at me long after we had left Clutch Cargo's, and I had been aware of it at a couple of key points on this night as well. Who could blame a Crowded House or Split Enz fan for noticing this? We have been spoiled for years with the Finn brothers' voices working together like oiled pop music machinery. Even Crowded House enjoyed Tim's contributions on stage for only a fraction of its lifetime, but it had a very effective (and very underrated) backup singer in Paul Hester. From the point that Neil joined Split Enz, it seemed that strong harmony lines were an important part of his songwriting, and this importance carries all the way through to _Try Whistling This_. The layered voices (the "Neilettes," if you will, since most of the backgrounds are performed on record by Neil himself) on "She Will Have Her Way" add another layer of beauty to a well-crafted song, but it's the harmonies on "Faster Than Light," "Dream Date," and the bridge of "Loose Tongue" that lift those songs to a higher level. Without those parts present in the live mix, the songs seem weaker. If you agree with me on this point, the question that follows is this: Why wouldn't Neil line up better vocalists, or at least musicians who were a little more eager (and louder) when they were called for duty at a microphone? I answered this question for myself with a favorite game I play. It's called "I'm Neil Finn." Now stop rolling your eyes until you've given this a try. All it takes is a great haircut, pants worth posting about on the Web, a cool exterior, an angst-drenched interior, a son you nickname "Elvis," and at least one Internet fanatic overanalyzing why you don't have better backup vocalists. Oh, and a full-length mirror and a hairbrush to sing into. Voila. I'm Neil Finn. So I'm Neil Finn. I'm about to undertake a big ol' tour in support of my first solo record. I've spent more than two decades in this business. I'm in the envious position of taking my family along for the ride. Yes, I need to impress the industry suits (especially the new folks in the US), but the fact is that I've played this "breaking the US" game too many times, and frankly, having another "Don't Dream It's Over" just isn't as important to me as it was in 1987. So I have a choice: I can hire some of the best musicians I've come across in my career and put together a Neil Finn "super group" - players and vocalists who I might not know as well personally, but who can really make these songs soar. Or I can hire some good friends of mine who will play this music beautifully, but who will also fit into the "family" feel of this tour, and go out and have myself a half-year of fun and music. What a remarkable situation I'm in: I know how to go out and knock the socks off of audiences around the world, and since the show is so damned entertaining that I can sacrifice stellar musicality for merely excellent musicality with good friends. (And hey - my son is sounding pretty damn good on those guitars and drums!) Why the hell not? I admit that this is total conjecture, but hey, this is my game, I'm Neil. But it makes some sense, doesn't it? Look how completely comfortable Neil is right now. His album can't see the US Top 40 with the Hubble telescope, but he is so content and confident that I half-expect him to come to the edge of the stage, throw his arms in the air and scream to the madding crowd, "I'm king of my world!" Which is not to say that the king won't occasionally rule with a little more of an iron hand, as evidenced by the differences between the Pontiac and Chicago shows. While the night before was full of mischief, looseness, and at times even questionable playing, the theme of the gig at The Vic was "getting down to business." It could be that Neil noticed some of the shortcomings of the Pontiac show and wanted to correct them; or it could have been the rumored presence of Sony execs in town. Either way, August 1st held a more sober set. The reins were pulled in on Saturday night, giving the evening a very different feel from Friday. The much improved acoustics and more intimate feel of The Vic Theatre probably also had a lot to do with the different feel. It's an old converted movie theatre that can hold around 1,000 when the floor is set up as standing-only. The gilt-ornamented balcony provides seating very close to the stage, and even the very back row of the balcony has a remarkably intimate view of the large stage. Unlike the enormous church converted into Clutch Cargo's, The Vic handles rock music much better with less booming. Another reason for the different vibe in Chicago: Members of the Crowded House email list ruled the front of the stage. When I arrived at The Vic around 4:30 p.m., a line of about 25 people were there, the majority of them listies, primed for a great night. Inside, we were pressed right up against the front of the stage, some able to read the band members' set lists before the show started. We were positively buzzing, and there is no question that our presence as a group had a positive effect on the success of the evening. (One unfortunate aspect of the close proximity: when I accidentally knocked over a cup of water sitting on the stage during the second song of the night, Neil stood a genuine chance of being either electrified or slipping on stage. There was a horrifying moment when I imagined how I would have explained to the list why the rest of the tour would have to be cancelled. Thankfully, these roadies in the wings have eagle eyes, and the water was toweled up before "King Tide" had ended.) Morley was conscious of the vibe. A few of us chatted with her roadie as he was setting up for their set, promising to cheer loudly for her. (For those of us who had caught earlier concerts, we *wanted* this band to make it.) And their set, identical in song order to Pontiac's, had a better sound and energy, perhaps largely due to the crowd response. A couple of times, Morley Kamen herself seemed surprised at the positive response she was getting, but she sunk right into it and enjoyed it. When the lights went down for Neil and Co., the cheers are approaching delirium. Paper airplanes are at the ready. (There had been much discussion on the strategy behind giving your projectile the best chance to be acknowledged.) Neil walks on first, wearing the same outfit from the night before: slate suit, white button-down shirt. The hair looks a little more gelled tonight. Time for a cut, Mr. Finn! The Nike sneakers are the official performance shoes of this tour. (Possible endorsement deal?) Liam is wearing a red shirt and dark shorts on this night. The bared legs revealed a tattoo on the inside left, just below the knee. It appears to be a native symbol of some sort, similar to a sun or star. Those familiar with the tour already know what the first song is because the "Twisty Bass" distortion mic is set up next to Neil's regular mic. The song has about as much energy as the night before, which is to say that it still felt to me like an odd choice to get the ball rolling. Neil's removal of the bass before the conclusion is much more balletic tonight due to the larger stage. (Each band member had a ton of space in which to move.) The transition into "King Tide" is just as fascinating to watch. "King Tide" itself is much improved over the night before, due largely to the acoustics. My position in front of the stage placed me in the direct path of Liam's amplifier, allowing me to focus all night long on everything he did. He plays with a lot of gusto, and quite well for a 14-year-old, though there are occasional moments when things get a little out of control and his part strays from the vibe of the song. These moments are very minor and barely affect the overall music; there is no question that, given time, his touch on the guitar will become more subtle and seamless. (He's already miles ahead of me at the age of 14, and I'd been playing for seven years by then!) Barely pausing to call out, "Hello, Chicago," Neil launches into "Private Universe" with the same setup as the night before but a drastically different song arrangement. Instead of the whole band starting off together right away with drums and bass blazing, Neil opens solo with just the Gold Top guitar and his voice; everyone comes in after the first verse and chorus. The result is a song that has somewhere to build. Apparently, Neil wasn't happy with the way this had gone the night before, and he has done something about it. Everything about the song seems a little more restrained, a little tighter. Michael Barker's drumming sticks to a more consistent part. Liam's soloing is less adventurous and employs no feedback. Even Neil isn't getting quite as wacky on his pedal effects during the solo as he had the night before. His brow is furrowed in concentration as he tries to make it work. It's a nice moment as Father connects with Son via their guitars and they put together a coherent double-solo as the band grooves underneath. The conclusion of the song shows how much Neil was trying to take it away from the Crowded House versions: rather than build to a feverish ending, this performance takes the song the other way, winding down quieter and quieter until it concludes with a quiet chord and a soft cymbal. Overall, a *much* more enjoyable rendition, and probably the closest this band can come to some of the stunning versions we recall when Nick, Paul and Mark were on stage with Neil. Liam departs from the stage and Niall comes forward from the keyboards to the piano in front. Neil straps on the acoustic, and without so much as an introduction he launches into "Not the Girl You Think You Are." A nice arrangement featuring a grounding bass drum from Michael Barker. No one attempts backup vocals on the bridge, making the song seem more like what it really is: this never was a "band" song, it's a solo tune that Crowded House happened to record before they broke up. The solo section in the middle gets a little odd, as if someone wasn't quite following the chord changes, but this hardly hurts it. Overall, a sweet performance of a song Neil enjoys immensely. And meanwhile, off stage left, Liam watches dad and follows along chord for chord on his unplugged Gretsch electric. I wonder if he knows every one of his Dad's songs by heart? Liam returns and "Dream Date" begins without any discussion. At this point, Neil and the band do not seem the least bit frivolous this evening. No stopping to discuss the weather with the audience. A couple of airplanes have landed on stage, but Neil has not glanced at them. Later, when I throw mine and it hits him in the leg and falls right in front of him, he seems not to notice. It looked like for the first half of this set that the band would march through the whole evening at this clip without taking a recess for fun and games. This did not turn out to be the case, but Neil is definitely setting up a very serious, workman vibe as he drives his band through the set list. "Dream Date"is fun, but even more so than in "Not The Girl," the dreamy instrumental break seems to go horribly wrong and turns into the nightmare instrumental break. Someone (I never could determine who) was in the wrong place, the wrong key, or the wrong something. The modulation for the instrumental is odd anyway, and if someone goes astray from the part, watch out. In any case, when they return to the verse and fall back in step, I breathe a sigh of relief. The rocking break-out at the end of the song is a little more subdued this time though still fun to watch. Again, Neil ends up banging away on the piano. Neil takes a moment to ask who amongst us is having a good day, a bad day, an average day, etc. Then, by simply saying that this next song is the title track off the album, he begins "Try Whistling This." Again, the level of concentration seems to be turned up a notch from Pontiac. He's making each song count tonight. (It's paying off: despite a couple of glitches, the band is performing more as a unit.) The highlight of this song live is the thunderous entrance of the band as the song enters the coda section ("And my words are ringing in your ears ..."). Very powerful. Apparently satisfied with the groove the band has on tonight, Neil comes forward after and decides to read a few of the paper airplanes scattered about. The first one he picks up and reads to himself, and then mysteriously begins chuckling, looking over at Robert. He places it on the piano and reaches for another one. After another chuckle, he tells us: "Oh, this is funny. This is part of a serial letter. I have to tell you ... Last night I had a letter from someone saying, 'I'm Paul, I have a dog named Grady and I live with my mum.' (Audience laughs) Listen to this (He reads from tonight's plane): "Neil, I'm Jody, from Lansing, Michigan. I live alone, and I would be really happy if you played "______" [I can't recall the request].'" The audience chuckles. "What?" Neil says. "It's not enough just to call out a request anymore! Now you have to write a whole biography!" We laugh, and then one or two people call out requests to Neil. He listens for a moment, resulting in lots of requests being yelled out simultaneously. Neil acts overwhelmed, looking horrified and flinching, hiding behind his hands as he tries to ward off the swarm. Very funny moment. Without another word, he begins "Sinner," again picking a wonderful, slow-burn tempo. The song is just gorgeous live, and the singalong section goes great with an audience so ready to sing. He has some fun with his ad-libs, having us sing back to him first "Got my toes, got my legs," and then "Got my knees, got my thighs." Many giggles from the crowd as they realize that they know where *this* is going! But he pulls a fast one on us, following with: "Got my hips, got my mind." So for any of you wondering where Neil believes the mind operates from, you can make your own deduction.... "I Got You" follows, every bit the crowd-pleaser. An enormous reaction from the crowd. There is no reason for Neil to stop performing this song if he gets this kind of reaction every night. The listies in the front row go absolutely insane, bouncing up and down (and into each other) as they move to this classic. The band exits; it's time for the Neil solo section. But the first thing he does before he starts playing is that he picks up another paper airplane - mine. He reads to himself this message:
I wouldn't normally have bothered signing my name, but there was good reason to believe that Neil would actually recognize it and know who I was. Before the show, a friend who works for a record store had met Neil and mentioned that I would be there that night. Neil had written a card to me and sent it out via my friend. The card read: "To Marck - On line with all the news. Thanks. Neil Finn" In addition, Neil had told my friend that there would be passes set up for us. I never bothered with the passes, but it was the first time in seven years as list administrator that I was certain Neil knew who I was. So when I made the request, I hoped that the name might result in his fulfilling the request. Whether it was that or just because he was already feeling like playing it, Neil immediately drops the note, announces, "Okay, this is for the gang," and plays a solo acoustic "Love This Life." He doesn't just toss it off, either ... he leans into it. He isn't even phased when 40 or so fans screamed "... I GET YOUR TONGUE IN THE MAIL!" back at him and then cheer wildly. His solemn demeanor brings us back down to earth as he gives a mesmerizing performance. Recognizing that this was not his most recognized song, he deftly cuts the first chorus to keep it a little shorter. But he also works the solo section and performs a slick instrumental. He slips a little on the lyrics, singing an earlier chorus in place of the "Here's something that you can do..." chorus, but otherwise it sounds as if this is a song that he performs every day. It's stupendous, and I'm beaming. He follows with "Distant Sun," where another list member, Carmel Lurito, has an opportunity to beam for a different reason. A lot of us are clapping along or striking the stage in front of us along to the beat, but the wily Carmel does more than that - she actually supplies the Paul Hester drum fills. Neil notices this and looks down at her, telling her between lines, "Good rhythm" and "There's a job for you." He alters the ad-lib at the end slightly from the night before:
Oh well, not all the ad-libs can be stunning! The band is ready to return, but Neil quickly looks to each side of the stage, holding up a finger, indicating that he wants them to hold off while he performs one more song solo. He returns and performs "Only Talking Sense" (from a request sheet that Carmel had prepared earlier), which gets a reaction from those in the crowd familiar with the Finn Brothers' record. This version is significantly different from the recorded and live versions of the past, because he performs on acoustic rather than electric, and because he doesn't use the special tuning used on the recorded version. So it's a more traditional arrangement of the song, but no less effective (though it would have been nice to have Tim there for the backups). The band comes back with Liam going to the drum set and Michael coming up front. They do "Souvenir," which is a little better than the night before but still probably the song that works least effectively live. The arrangement with this band just doesn't do the song justice. "Loose Tongue" is the obvious follow-up (this way, Liam can take care of all of his drum duties in one fell swoop), and it's great fun. One thing that becomes readily apparent is the options that Sharon Finn had for the lights tonight - something not available at the Pontiac show. The lights go crazy during the main guitar riff, and then when a verse starts, Neil gets a special spotlight. "When You Come" follows, rearranged from the night before. After a less-than-stellar version at the Pontiac show, Neil brings the song back to an arrangement closer to a Crowded House version. It works much better ... Don't fix it if it ain't broke! During the instrumental before the "She came out of the water" section, Neil crafts a solo on the acoustic that is seamless and exciting, and then slides into the bridge. Liam's solo (it's all Liam - Neil doesn't share the duties since Dad has the acoustic) is wonderful, and Neil takes a moment to enjoy it himself, sliding in behind Liam and getting down on his knees in front of Liam's amplifier, listening as he continues to thrash his own acoustic. Dad is proud; his son can rip a good solo. The crowd is LOUD (how can anyone not be after a good performance of that song?), and after we calm down (as the band is setting up for the last song of the main set), Neil encourages the audience with: "How about a hand for the whole front row?" We have been crazy all night, and now that we're prompted, we get riled up, all of us simultaneously banging our hands as hard as we can on the stage. This sparks an idea for Neil, who suggests organizing a little. He gives us a rhythm (clap-clap-clap-clap-clap - rest - clap-clap-clap-clap-clap - rest ...). It takes us all of about a half-second to pick up on it and send it back to him. The band picks up almost as quickly, with Liam getting a little guitar groove going, and Robert finding a bass part he likes. Neil starts to sing a little, but all of a sudden, Niall, who has come forward to play the acoustic guitar, puts down the instrument and starts doing an Irish jig. This cracks Neil up. The front row continues their percussion, and Neil comes back and sings a version of "Jamaica Farewell." It's a dirge-ish version of it, matching up with the tone of Liam's and Robert's groove. The band closes with "She Will Have Her Way," definitely the crowd favorite from the new record, with an energetic performance to match their enthusiasm. The song cooks! Hidden behind the bass amp stage right, little Elroy enthusiastically keeps time on a tambourine. Apparently, the band convening in front of the drum set near the end of this song is not a spontaneous move; Neil prefers it to actually happen. As Neil, Robert and Niall gather, Liam lags behind until Neil catches Liam's eye and motions with his head for Liam to join them, which he does. They stick together in their square for a moment, and then break for the conclusion of the song. Everyone exits, with a wave from Neil. Neil and band return a few minutes later, and as if in response to someone asking (though I didn't hear a query), Neils yells: "Paul and Nick send their love. And Mark." But the crowd either didn't hear or isn't sure what he is talking about. "What," he says, "you've forgotten them already?" and laughs. "Last One Standing" leads off the encore set. This song works much better when placed in a leadoff spot, either opening the main set or opening one of the encores. Perhaps this is because it's the leadoff track on the record and thus we have it in our mind as a song that starts something rather than being surrounded by other songs. Liam's feedback is also much better tonight. Overall, the song has more energy than the night before. I've written a lot about the rapport between father and son Finn, but during "Last One Standing," there is a rare moment to see the two sons interact. When he isn't enjoying his Dad's music, 8-year-old Elroy spends most of the night supplying towels or water for band members. During this song, as Liam sits facing his amp (with his back to the crowd), Elroy appears from behind the drum set and stands at the back of the stage, waiting for his older brother to look up at him. When their eyes meet, Elroy mouths a question to Liam, asking if he needs anything. Liam shakes his head no, and Elroy disappears. The moment is short, but there's a sense that Elroy greatly respects his brother's lofty position as "band member," and whatever sibling rivalry may exist between the two off stage, when Liam's at work, Elroy serves him as any other band member. Oh, alright - perhaps I'm extracting more from this exchange than was actually there, but this was my sense at that moment. After the song, Robert slips the yoga record on the turntable, telegraphing to us concert vets that "Faster Than Light" is coming up next. Michael starts a little goofy bossa nova beat on the drums, and Neil picks up with an equally silly, Joe Jacksonesque piano part. After this goofy interlude, Neil stands up and begins following the instructions on the yoga record, rolling his head and loosening his shoulders in a trance-like fashion. His guitar technician waits patiently on stage next to him, handing him the red Grestch when he's finished. Neil's guitar at the end of "Faster" sounds a little quirky and strange (not in a bad way), as if he had the wrong setting on the pedal effect. Neil looks momentarily puzzled but decides to stick with it. This is one song that sounds pretty drastically different live than on the record; it's too difficult to recreate the intimate production of that song in a live setting. All depart except for Niall and Neil, and another beautiful rendition of "Don't Dream It's Over" is unveiled. The singalong is wonderful. Neil has rediscovered the beauty of this song, perhaps having begun to take it for granted after playing it almost every night with Crowded House. At its close, he leaves again. The band returns for one last encore set, and with no announcement, they launch into "Empty Head," Liam's song. It's a full-on guitar attack ... no wimpy keyboards for this boy! What surprises me (though in hindsight, I shouldn't have been so surprised) is that from a songwriting standpoint, this song is well-crafted. It follows a pop song format, including a nice bridge and a guitar solo (which Neil contributes to his son's song). I'd be pretty proud if I'd written anything this good at the age of 14. Neil has a half-smile on his face through the whole thing. He clearly loves this. Liam concludes the song himself, and then as the crowd cheers, he gives a sheepish smirk, as if he doesn't know what came over him and made him a little more *extroverted* for three minutes. The printed set list had "Suffer/Truth" listed next, indicating that Neil would decide at this point in the set to play one of those two songs. In fact, Neil decides on something entirely different, sitting at the piano and performing another beautiful solo piano version of "Message to My Girl." Instead of leaving, the band members tear their set lists off the floor and quietly make paper airplanes out of them as Neil performs. At the song's conclusion, the airplanes are launched. All of them reach the audience. Obviously, we're dealing with trained professional airplane builders on stage. Still sitting at the piano, Neil addresses the audience: "This is a great room. Did we play here once before?" Yes! "If I remember correctly, we'd just come from Jamaica." Yes! (In fact, they almost didn't make it from Jamaica; the band had missed a changeover in Miami and had to be re-booked, barely making it to the theatre before show time.) "And we played 'Jamaica Farewell,' right?" he asks, and again the answer is Yes! "Oh good, Neil says, "my memory's not completely gone." As Neil sets up for the last song of the night, Liam attempts to return a paper airplane on stage to the audience. It fails and the audience laughs. Neil looks up, wondering what he missed. He looks at Liam, who isn't giving anything away - just laughs. "Ah," says Neil, "a moment of mystery." He explains "Addicted" by saying that for a long time, New Zealand only had one television station, and it went off the air at midnight. You would see this little cartoon character do the sign-off, and then the national anthem would play, and then "you'd fall asleep in a little cushion on top of the satellite." (I know that doesn't make sense, but I swear that's what I heard him say!) They perform the song, with the usual slow attrition of the band from the stage, leaving Neil all alone. He takes his final bows, removes the needle from the yoga record that Robert has once again left playing, and then takes a sweep along the front row of the audience, shaking as many hands as he can before disappearing stage left. Overall, I liked this evening more than the Pontiac show, though it depends on what you like to get out of a Neil Finn show. If you are into fun chatter and interaction with the audience, this show definitely had less. If it's good acoustics and overall better musicianship from the band, this show was stronger. With an act filled with so many spontaneous moments, and considering how "young" the band is (i.e., spent working together), there are likely to be big variations in each night's performance. But overall, a Neil Finn concert is still better than 80% of the other shows you'll catch live. Twenty-plus years of experience don't lie: the man knows how to leave an audience happy and exhausted. (And whether or not I'm Neil Finn, I've come to terms with the backup vocal situation.) |
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