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It was my first time in the Hunter
Valley so we made a weekend of it. The weather held out beautifully
and our accommodation was lush and homely. We toured some local
wineries and cheese places and bought from both. The real reason for
the trip,however, was to see Crowded House.
We had no idea who the support act was until we arrived at the venue, at which point we picked up our pre-booked hamper and headed for a central spot on the grass. In fact, there was not one, but two support
acts. None of the three bands who played had ever been seen by this
reviewer. Split Enz & The Finn Brother yes, but never Crowded House.
The first act who came onto the stage were The Boat People. These JJJ darlings rocked out with an all too brief set (shy
of 30 minutes) of indie rock goodness, that had the first bus load of
people to the grounds in a toe-tapping, smiling frenzy as they
attempted to connect with a demographic who had largely never even
heard of them - let alone ever heard them play. They did a stellar job
warming up the stage and I'm now keen to buy their album -
they were that impressive!
Following The Boat People's departure came the beautiful voice of Kate Miller-Heidke.
Today's band make-up was a two-some. Heidke only found out she was playing two weeks prior so perhaps
that contributed to the stripped back band. Whatever the reason
though, the sound worked and her voice cut through as wonderfully as
it does on her albums. Her banter was good and the dynamic between
herself and her guitarist was strong.
Her set included nice versions of
'Can't Shake It', 'Last Day On Earth' and the song known to most of
the older crowd as “that one from A Current Affair”
('Caught in the Crowd'). One of the best moments of the set though was
hearing her angelic, classically trained voice cover Eminem's 'Real
Slim Shady'. This had the audience applauding even before the song
had finished as Heidke demonstrated her true abilities as a real
entertainer - one who likes to have a laugh and think outside the
square.
The other track of note was 'Are You
F**king Kidding Me' (The Facebook Song) that has become a hit for
Heidke despite not being released as a single. This helped to
connect her with this 'new' audience and hopefully will translate into a
wider fan-base after the fact.
Despite some technical issues with the
guitar, she performed well and did exactly what you'd hope of any
musician, elevating her performance in a live situation rather than
leaving you wishing you'd just stayed home with the CD.
Then there was Crowded House. You
couldn't have asked for anything better. The show was the final stop
in a world tour that had been on the road since March. The set was
just shy of two hours and covered all their hits including 'Better Be
Home Soon', 'Don't Stop Now''Something So Strong' and 'World Where
You Live'. Of course, they also delivered tracks from their latest release Intriguer, including the haunting 'Elephants' and the very apt 'Saturday Sun'.
Despite the numerous line-up changes
and the new, younger blood that courses through the band, it still
sounds like the Crowded House we all know and love, and there is nothing wrong with that. Neil
still has energy younger than his years and both he and the rest of
the band seemed to feed off the audience well.
Culminating in a spectacular fireworks display, it was a great night on the lawn, completing the trilogy that is all things Brothers Finn for this reviewer.
From my own 'Private Universe', I
couldn't fault it.