So, yes, the guys in Crowded House can flat out play. And yes, Neil Finn remains one of the best pop songwriters out there. But those weren’t reasons why the band’s show at the Minneapolis Zoo on Saturday was so good. Chalk that up to the connection between the artist and the audience. It was that extra element that made the show — despite more than a handful of technical difficulties — one of the best of the year.

I’m a big Crowded House fan, something I didn’t really realize until 1997, when Finn dissolved the band and went solo. I attended my first Finn-related concert that year, catching him on the tour for Try Whistling This. My love of his superior pop soundcraft was amplified by that experience. The performance was so good — pristine playing, tons of energy and full of Finn’s sharp wit — that the connection was forged. I realized Saturday that I’ve seen him on every tour since — a couple of shows during SXSW in support of One Nil, three years ago for Time on Earth (more on that later) and now this.

Each time, it was the connection that made the show transcendent. Which brings me to the Time on Earth tour. My wife and I saw them at the House of Blues in Chicago. Or rather, were in the same room with them. It was a sellout in an otherwise awful room. They were being taped for a webcast, so extra lights and cameras on huge booms swooped in front of the stage. We could hear a bit and see nothing, and actually left early. The problem? There was no connection. It was like sitting in your house trying to hear a loud radio from next door. Determined to see the band, I went to Minneapolis later in the tour to catch them at a theater. I left transfixed.

Which brings me to Saturday. After a short, spirited set from Lawrence Arabia, Crowded House came out to start a set that lasted nearly two hours. They opened with “Private Universe,” a song reliant on atmospherics for its opening hook, and their success with that seemed to bode well for the rest of the show. They went from that right into a bit of a career bookend, with “Saturday Sun” from Intriguer followed by “World Where You Live” from their debut (one of four songs from that album). Next was “Either Side of the World,” the current single, and one of five songs from the new album. I was disappointed not to hear “Amsterdam” (could have switched out “Archer’s Arrows,” which doesn’t do it for me), but the rest of the selections from Intriguer were spot on. A nice cameo from Sharon Finn on “Arrows” and “Isolation.”

The surprise was the lack of material from Time on Earth. I wasn’t sorry, having heard much of that album live a few years ago. They did “Don’t Stop Now” and “Heaven That I’m Making.”

The rest was a nice sampling from the rest of the catalog. “Chocolate Cake” rose above its dated lyrics (with help from a funny Lindsay Lohan reference) to provide a spark, while “When You Come” from Temple of Low Men was a treat.  “Fall At Your Feet,” “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Weather With You” were predictable singalongs (and the outdoor setting was perfect; everyone could sing along, but our voices rose to the heavens and didn’t drown out the band). The encore was full of hits (at least in the Crowded House universe), with “Locked Out,” “Something So Strong,” “Weather With You” and a closing “Better Be Home Soon.”

So, about that connection thing. Finn and bassist Nick Seymour were witty and chatty as always, playing off of the zoo setting to do animal noises and bird calls, and to speculate about how the animals were responding to the band’s set. Strangely, though, references to the lion’s den in “When You Come” and the entire song “Elephants” were left on the table untouched; too easy, perhaps. The amphitheatre helped with the connection, as it was the most intimate 1,400 seat venue I’ve ever seen. The performance, though marred by a spotty mix at times, was energetic and sounded great. It was more than the reproduction of recorded songs; it was an event.

Regrets are few: I would have loved to hear “Distant Sun,” and seeing the setlist on CrowdedHouse.com that lists “I Got You” and “History Never Repeats” as potential second encore tunes makes me wish the zoo didn’t have a curfew. But those are petty gripes. It was a great show by a great band that, despite a long layoff and a sound far outside the mainstream, is firing on all cylinders.

So, a year ago, I decided to start keeping track of every full album I listened to. I did this in part as justification for my still-insatiable desire to acquire new music decades after my first purchase, and in part to simply help me to see if my actual listening was as broad as my self-image indicates.

The results were interesting. Over the course of an entire year, I listened to 732 full albums. That equates to 61 a month, or almost exactly two per day. That last figure is a bit misleading, as I would often go a day or two without listening to anything all the way through, while other days spent chained to the computer at work would find me spinning five or six.

I set ground rules: These needed to be albums, not EPs or singles. I needed to listen to them in whole. And once something was heard, it couldn’t be listed again, no matter how many repeat plays. So, while I listened to well over 8,000 songs in this exercise, the total is likely double that or more, as hours and hours spent with the iPod on shuffle, repeat listens of favorite discs and partial spins all were omitted from the total.

The most interesting thing I found is that I changed my listening habits because of this exercise. I’m often chided for not listening to things all the way through, often surprised when listening to old discs while distracted by other things to find an uncredited bonus track at the end or some other unknown treasure toward the end of the tracklist. Because I couldn’t record the album on the list unless I heard the whole thing, I forced myself to hear every last note.

I also listened to a lot more new music than I might have otherwise. There were few albums in the past year that earned a rave review anywhere (and that sounded like they would remotely fall in my musical wheelhouse) that I didn’t track down some way and hear. That expanded my palette, as I found myself embracing much more electronic music than ever before, but also led me to confirm the long-held belief that while an awful lot of of well-reviewed music might offer immediate visceral pleasure, they are lacking in the long run and rarely demand a repeat spin.

I set a goal at the beginning of this calendar year to listen to more classical music, hoping to move from completely ignorant to marginally knowledgeable of the genre’s best works. I did better given that concerted effort than I have in the past, but with only 18 classical collections having been played (though, in my defense, some were multi-disc sets), I have a long way to go.

A look at what I listened to the most meshes pretty well with a list of my favorite artists. Push comes to shove, a list of what I would have expected to listen to the most created at the beginning of this exercise would look a lot like the actual result… with a couple of exceptions. First the list:

That’s the top 10. I keep a blog about Robert Pollard’s music, and that coupled with the fact that he puts out 5 or 6 albums a year means he’ll probably always top this list. I’m a huge fan of Crowded House, R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub and Big Star, so those make sense. I got on a serious Steve Wynn kick last year that continues unabated. The Beatles boxed set accounts for their presence here, while reading the 33 1/3 series book on the Minutemen’s Double Nickels on the Dime helps explain their spot. Devo and Richard Thompson were both driven by live shows. However, I hadn’t listened to Devo in years before pulling them out in July, so their strong showing is pretty remarkable. I’m always listening to Thompson, so that’s no surprise.

My year came to a close on July 31. When Aug. 1 rolled around, I listened to a CD and then headed to the computer to record it. A funny thing happened, however; I decided to let it go. I have been listening to things at pretty much the same pace I did before, but in just a few days, I find I’m already more willing to listen to a handful of songs and then swap something out if it’s not working for me. If I can maintain the adventurousness and patience afforded by the exercise while injecting some much-needed flexibility, my listening experience is sure to improve.

While I love the fact that Crowded House reformed and enjoyed the debut of CH 2.0 quite a bit, I’m glad to see that Neil Finn will continue exploring things outside the sphere of the band. He only managed two albums in the decade the band was away, but they’re full of great songs, so knowing that he’ll still touch on that material and pursue his own music apart from the band is good news.

Even better news: Finn has gathered a passel of friends for another Seven Worlds Collide album. The first, issued in 2002, found his touring band augmented by the likes of Johnny Marr, Eddie Vedder and Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway, performing Crowded House, Split Enz, Finn solo and cover songs. The set was issued on CD and DVD, and capped a flurry of activity that began with the dissolution Crowded House.

Since, Finn recorded just one other solo album, One Nil (One All stateside) before reuniting Crowded House. Now that the band’s tour for that reunion album, Time on Earth, is over (and before touring for the imminent follow up can commence), Finn will revisit the Seven Worlds Collide idea. Back are the Radiohead boys, Marr and Finn’s onetime bandmates Lisa Germano and Sebastian Steinberg. They’ll be joined by most of Wilco — Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone — KT Tunstall, Don McGlashan, Bic Runga and Finn’s son, Liam.

While the first version was the document of a live show, apparently this one will be a studio project, recorded at his own Roundhead Studios in Auckland, New Zealand. For those in New Zealand, however, there is good news: Three shows that his web site calls “a series of intimate and informal live performances at a nearby club venue.” These will be held Jan. 5-7.

For the rest of us, we must wait for the yet-to-be-determined release date for the album.

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.

The webcast shot during the Crowded House show I “saw” at the House of Blues in Chicago two weeks ago is now up. It seems MSN is to blame for my crappy experience. From the look of things, I missed a hell of a show. They got some great footage, and I’ll admit that the cameras they had all over the place certainly helped to capture the show, but as I fairly exhaustively covered in my post on the show, they also completely blocked the view of a couple hundred fans.

In the meantime, I decided to bite the bullet and trek off for another go at seeing the band in person. They’re conveniently playing Minneapolis next weekend, so I’m going to head up and try my luck. This one is at a theater, so I’m hoping my ability to see and hear won’t be an issue. I just couldn’t allow that awful House of Blues experience to stand as my only Crowded House live show.

Things continue to ramp up in the Crowded House camp, with a live webcast scheduled for this Saturday at 5 p.m. CDT. Longtime Neil Finn fans should be intimately familiar with the webcast concept, as he has originated a handful from his home basement studio in promoting various projects over the past few years.

The show will be held at the band’s rehearsal studio in Bath in the UK, and will feature new drummer Matt Sherrod, late of Beck’s backing band. It can be accessed through the band’s new web site, www.crowdedhouseofficial.com. Fans can ask questions before and during the performance via e-mail, some of which will be answered during the performance.

More details emerged from the Crowded House camp today about the band’s reformation, including word that the band’s new drummer is Matt Sherrod. That will likely leave most fans scratching their heads and asking, “Who?” and a look online for more information does little to answer the question. Allmusic.com lists a handful of credits for Sherrod, mostly as the drummer on early to mid-90s R’n'B records. A statement from the band, however, reveals that Sherrod has played in Beck’s backing band, so he obviously will be able to keep up with the antics of Crowded House.

The band’s page on the Frenz web site has this statement from Neil Finn about Sherrod: “It’s a go with Matt Sherrod for the drumming chair. A big thank you to all who put their hand up, and sorry we didn’t get to play with everyone but time and geography were against us. Look out for more dates announced soon and we are about to do some serious rehearsing so we can be very good.”

A short missive from the band’s UK label, Parlophone, to announce the first show by this lineup was fairly sketchy, going so far as to refer to multi-instrumentalist Mark Hart as “Matt.” The band, which has been rehearsing in London, will perform at the Thekla Social club in Bristol on March 19, the only performance before the band plays the Coachella Festival in California in April.

Unlike the flurry of activity surrounding the Police reunion, this one is being greeted a bit more demurely, at least here in the U.S. While I’d love to see Crowded House experience unlimited success, I’m OK with being one of the few and proud, because it means I won’t need to compete in online presales for $250 tickets when they tour here. Need proof? The band will be squeezed between shows by Five O’Clock Heroes and Thirteen Senses at the Thekla Social. Speaking of “Who?”…

While we await official word of a Police reunion, another favorite band seems poised to reunite. Word out of Australia is that Crowded House will reform and perform at the Coachella Valley Music Festival in April. Initially, that was where the Police were to resurface, with reports that the password for ticket presales was a not-too-coy “Roxanne.” Now the rumors indicate that the Police will make their bow at the Grammys on Feb. 11 (with strong rumors that the band’s festival of choice is now Bonnaroo), leaving Coachella as the reunion headquarters for other groups. In addition to Crowded House, Rage Against the Machine, the Jesus & Mary Chain and the Happy Mondays all plan to reform for the festival, and there may be more.

As for Crowded House, the timing makes sense. The 10th anniversary edition of its farewell concert, Farewell to the World, was released this winter on DVD and CD, meaning interest in the band is as high as it has been in, well, a decade. Neil Finn has a new solo album due in March that features bass playing by Crowded House’s Nick Seymour. The bittersweetness of all of this is that drummer Paul Hester cannot rejoin his mates, having commited suicide two years ago. According to Australia’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, Finn and Seymour are auditioning drummers. No word on whether latter-day keyboardist Mark Hart will be a part of the reunited group.