Crowded House finally… and well worth it

After my disastrous first experience seeing Crowded House at the execrable House of Blues in Chicago (a pox on Dan Ackroyd’s “House”), I am happy to report that I finally had the chance to see and hear the band, and the result was fantastic. It’s clear I’m a fan, being willing to follow-up a four-hour drive to see the band with a subsequent five-hour drive to try again, so this is obviously to be taken with a grain of salt. But, the band is as good as it has ever been (my only previous evidence being live recordings) and can still put on one of the better shows in the business.

They began with a song I had assumed they would have stricken from the set list, “Mean to Me,” with its lyric, “Now her parents are divorced, and her friend’s committed suicide…” given the 2005 suicide of original drummer Paul Hester. That was one of the few surprises of the night, as they essentially turned in a set made up of hits, fan favorites and most of the best from the band’s reunion disc, Time on Earth. I could quibble about the set list, particularly with the fact that they skipped two of the best new songs — “She Called Up” (the current single, no less) and “Even a Child” in favor of esoteric tracks like “Transit Lounge” — and only played one song from sophomore album Temple of Low Men (“When You Come”), but all in all it was a solid, well-played set.

New drummer Matt Sharrod was dazzling, ably filling Hester’s chair when it came to playing. Hester was always the band jester, however, so while Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour still were able to joke around and draw laughs from the crowd, things were a bit more serious than they’ve been in the past.

Friends and I were conversing before the show about the lack of harmony singing from current bands, saying that many a decent song would be elevated with this extra effort. As if seeking to prove the point, Crowded House made full use of backing harmonies; at times all five musicians on stage (the four Crowdies and Neil’s son, Liam, who opened and then backed the band on acoustic guitar) sang, creating lush, rich harmonies that made these songs soar.

All in all, it was worth the travel and fatigue. Anyone with a chance to catch the band on this reunion tour would be wise to do so. They don’t make ‘em like this much any more.