People ARE Like Suns!

[jlh]

Okay, first, let me assure you that my LJ is HP spoiler-free. What I want you to do is click through so you are looking at my actual LJ. Here? So see all the titles I've changed across the top, or along the side, or in the entries, or the title of my friendspage? All of those are titles of Crowded House or Neil Finn songs, because other than George Gershwin Neil is my favorite songwriter. So when heidi8 sent me a link to sign up for a drawing to get into a special club show Crowded House was doing for eventual broadcast I was all, "hells yeah!" and then when I actually got on the list I was like, OMFG! and brought ziggy1278 with me to the concert last night.

You guys, it was awesome. If eventually you can get your hands on the bootleg for the show at the Masonic Hall in NYC, grab it! The band were in a good mood, the crowd of course was enthusiastic, and the show was pretty much amazing. Because it was an eventy-thing, once we got inside we got some cosmos from the sponsor, Grey Goose, and I have to say it's been a while since I've had a good one. Cosmos are not supposed to taste like a vodka cranberry! They're supposed to be mostly lime juice with enough cranberry to make it pink! Do it right, people! Anyway as Z and I were standing there in the line-cum-cocktail party drinking our cosmos the elevator in front of us opens and who should be standing there but Mark and Matt! Matt said, you have cocktails? And I was sort of surprised anyone was even in the elevator, so I said, "er, yeah?" and sort of toasted him, and then the doors of the elevator closed as mysteriously as they'd opened and Z was all, who was that? and I said, um, half the band?

I'll do this as an annotated set list, because it will help me remember what went on:

• Mark on the organ, probably Bach. The Masonic Hall has a very nice old organ, so the show started with Mark up on the balcony playing something or other on it, which was a cool way to start a show.
  
• People Are Like Suns I have to say, even though I've been listening to the new album a lot since I got it, I was really surprised how many of the new songs I already knew by heart just from listening to them a lot.
  
• Locked Out. Natch. Matt is very good.
  
• Nobody Wants To And the crowd seemed to know and like the new songs too, which might be why Neil was in such a good mood.
  
• Don't Stop Now which is the new single.
  
• Distant Sun I forgot to mention that Elroy Finn was also up on stage intermittently on keyboards and guitars, and there was some bit of banter here where Elroy made the universal "wrap it up, Dad" gesture and Neil wrapped it up. At some later point Neil tried to keep himself from calling Elroy "Liam" by calling him "Nick".
  
• Heaven That I'm Making And the new songs sounded really good.
  
• You Are the One to Make Me Cry Neil sits down at the keyboard, makes us all stfu, and tells the story of the song about a guy lost in the Tasman Sea.
  
• Pineapple Head If you hadn't noticed, this song is in 6/8 (my favorite time signature) and at the bridge Neil has us clapping on the off beats such that it goes into 3/4, and then randomly starts playing Hava Nagila, is well pleased that the crowd is musical enough to follow along, and brings us back into the final chorus.
  
• Fall At Your Feet The first time Neil asked us to sing, and we even got all the harmonies right.
  
• She Called Up
  
• Transit Lounge Before which Neil talked about being liminal.
  
• Silent House
  
• Pour Le Monde
  
• At this point Neil started talking about how awesome the crowd was, and what a fantastic room we were standing in, and starting making up a little song about the room, the chorus of which was, "It's a very good room" which he had us singing, and the crowd, including me, started harmonizing on the melody he'd given us, and Neil was pleased with that. Personally I was just pleased to confirm that I still have an ear for that sort of thing, though Z, who was sitting next to me, might beg to differ.
  
• When You Come When I saw CH back in '94 at the Roseland on the Together Alone tour I remember the crowd singing along to this one at full voice and thinking, wow, I love CH shows. So that happened again.
  
• Break.
  
• Mean to Me. Which, again, we all sang, if only so we could get through "and her friend's committing suicide" line together. (So I just got out the CD book of Crowded House so I could make sure to get that lyric right and I honestly hadn't looked at that cover since Paul died. I'm sure the rest of you already saw that but yikes.)
  
• Something So Strong After this Neil starts telling a rambling story about his dogs, who are neurotic apparently, and whom he's left in the care of someone or other, poor them, and so of course someone in the crowd shouts out:
  
• Better Be Home Soon Which the crowd pretty much sang for Neil.
  
• Break.
  
• Fingers of Love I have to say I was surprised at all three songs they played in the second encore.
  
• Recurring Dream Because why isn't this ON Recurring Dream, exactly? But it's okay, as that whole crowd had Afterglow, clearly.
  
• Neil had a glass of red wine and I knew someone would kick it over and lo, one of the guitar techs did, so while we waited for Neil to get more wine, Neil started singing "Spill the Wine" which turned into "Within You Without You" and then "Tomorrow Never Knows." And then the wine came.
  
• Four Seasons in One Day. And then we ended on my favorite Crowded House song! Clio FTW!

The only song I wish they'd sung is "Say That Again" which is quickly becoming my favorite cut off Time On Earth.

Click through to my gallery for the picture Z took for me with his iPhone. Nick's head is cut off by the speaker unfortunately, but that was our view anyway.

So much fannishness in one 48-hour period! How will I cope?

Comments

[pinkfinity.livejournal.com]

Yay band! I'm so so glad you got to go!
But, bah! Elroy is a wee eight year old just back from the Magic Kingdom in my mind! How did he grow up so fast?!??

[kerosinkanister.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a great time. I always love shows where everything comes together perfectly.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

Yeah, um, Heidi? Just to warn you, he was upsettingly hot. Hair a little long, but he has that Clooney way of looking up through his eyelashes. So it will be a My How You've Grown moment for you I expect.

And thank you again SO MUCH for the link. I had such a great time. You'll have fun in Boston; they are in very good form.

[lillijulianne.livejournal.com]

oh, it sounds fantastic. yay!

[jlh.livejournal.com]

Were you ever able to download that file?

And it was, yay!

[jlh.livejournal.com]

Me too. And it's fun to go to shows of bands that have these really rabid fans. It was like, a huge crowd of 30 somethings just singing at the top of their lungs, which is my kinda shit.