Don’t dream, they’re back.
Five years after saying farewell to the world at a series of iconic Sydney Opera House forecourt shows, Crowded House are touring again.
Not that their revival should surprise.
Twenty years before the 2016 shows, Neil Finn and Nick Seymour gave the band’s last rites at the same venue in front of one hundred thousand people.
This time around as the beloved trans-Tasman outfit return with a string of New Zealand shows, any crowd at all feels like a triumph.
In Wellington on Monday night, Finn joined founding member Nick Seymour, long-time friend Mitchell Froom, and his two sons Liam and Elroy, to trot out the hits once more for around five thousand people.
‘Playing music in the real world – what a concept!’ Crowded House have returned from a five-year hiatus to play in front of 5,000 fans in New Zealand on Monday
“My god, playing music in the real world. What a concept,” an exuberant Finn said between songs.
“Everything is such a joyful experience right now.
“We spent the last few months believing it could happen and here it is.”
COVID-19 has devastated the music industry, but New Zealand’s elimination and management of the virus has allowed music festivals and major artists to play on through the pandemic.
With the exception of two brief lockdowns in Auckland, music festivals and touring shows have been purring since spring.
Another Melbourne-formed Kiwi artist – Marlon Williams – is back in action with a monster 28-date tour of intimate venues across Aotearoa.
“My god, playing music in the real world. What a concept,” an exuberant Neil Finn said between songs
And while Crowded House has a claim to being the biggest New Zealand act of all time, they’re not even close to the biggest act this summer.
That title belongs to local phenomenon Six60, who lured 32,000 people to Wellington’s Sky Stadium last month as part of their own tour.
“We’re absolutely saying it’s a pandemic world record,” publicist Maria Robinson told AAP.
The roots act, which formed a decade ago after flatting together as students at Dunedin’s Otago University, are now setting their sights on another record.
They will play the first large-scale concert at Auckland’s Eden Park next month, hoping to sell 53,000 tickets and better their own record for highest selling gig.
Their Wellington return was Crowded House’s first live shows since their ‘Encore’ tour at the Sydney Opera House in 2016
“New Zealanders are eager to be at shows,” Robinson said.
“It takes a band of that calibre to draw people out from throughout the country an clearly Six60 have that star power.
“But look at Marlon, he’s playing 28 shows and eight in Auckland back to back.
“It shows how much appetite there is to be in a live audience again.”
They will play the first large-scale concert at Auckland’s Eden Park next month, hoping to sell 53,000 tickets and better their own record for highest selling gig
Back at Crowded House’s gig in the capital, and the mood on stage and off is revelrous.
In between classics, Finn, silver-mopped and suit-jacketed, jokes that the black-kilted Seymour is donning “New Zealand tartan” by way of thanks for being allowed into the country for the tour.
A particularly rambly tale is met by Finn’s son Liam with an abrupt “Cool story Dad”.
The two-hour show includes new music from upcoming album ‘Dreamers Are Waiting’, concluding with Distant Sun before an encore with David Bowie’s Heroes.
Next is a European tour, climaxing with three London shows at the Roundhouse in June.
Then, another return to the Sydney’s Opera House? It feels certain – but perhaps when they’re not locked out.
Next is a European tour, climaxing with three London shows at the Roundhouse in June