On November 20th (10-year anniversary), Crowded House will release a CD and DVD of their final concert, which they called "Farewell To The World." Attendance estimates range from 100,000 to 200,000 -- it was held in front of the Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbor.

There are promo copies of both floating around on ebay, and I grabbed the CD. It's probably the only official, professionally mixed/mastered live show they'll ever release, and it's a keeper.

As a huge fan of Neil Finn and Crowded House, I'm so excited the world at large will finally get exposure to their live chemistry...when they were "on," they were absolutely unstoppable. A one-of-a-kind combination of intelligent, unforgettable songwriting and a tight band with lots of raw live energy.

The CD has many moments that display this. Some tunes, mainly the slower ones, sound a little rough around the edges -- the band hadn't really played together in a year before this show, and Paul Hester (drummer) had left even a few years earlier. Slow tunes tend to expose these weaknesses, I think. But other songs ("World Where You Live," "Pineapple Head" for example) just shine brilliantly.

Anyone else had the chance to hear/see this yet? If not, be on the lookout.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Commontone,

May Paul Hester rest in peace.

To clarify, in no way am I implying that Paul's time away from the band, specifically, cramps their style.

His drumming (and vocals) are fantastic on this release...yes, may he rest in peace.

It always amuses me greatly to see Neil Finn/Crowded House/Split Enz talked about in the alternative forum here, where I'm from they are about as mainstream as The Beatles and about as loved.

That said, I'm so happy that FTTW has finally seen commercial release on CD/DVD and not only because my tape of the concert is long dead, may it rest in peace but because it is finally a chance to expose the masses to the wonderful experience of a live Crowded House show, few bands were/are better live than they were.

quote:

Originally posted by Jaye H.:
It always amuses me greatly to see Neil Finn/Crowded House/Split Enz talked about in the alternative forum here, where I'm from they are about as mainstream as The Beatles and about as loved.

Not in the US, where they are (sadly) mainly viewed as an 80's one-hit wonder for "Don't Dream It's Over." I agree with your assessment, though: one of the best live bands I've seen, and a great, great band who made too few records. I'm looking forward to the release of the final show on CD/DVD.

Yeah, of the small number of people I've come across who are aware of Crowded House, there are two groups...one group thinks of them as a minor 80's annoyance like Oingo Boingo or Damn Yankees or something, with one good song. Of course, I find this infuriating and feel like slapping them with a copy of "Together Alone." The other group holds them in almost mythic regard as one of those bands that becomes a friend for life. Neil Finn still manages to sell out almost all his shows here, so the people who know are out there, they're just hard to come across.

As a side note Finn mentions on the DVD commentary that a box set will be coming out in '07 with demos, unreleased tracks, alternate versions, etc. That makes me think remastered/5.1 reissues of the albums probably aren't far behind.

The last time I saw Crowded House would have had to have been 1994 because Hester had left the band only days before they appeared at The American in St. Louis. It was an odd show, disjointed as one might expected given Hester's sudden departure, but still excellent.

I also recall seeing them at Mississippi Nights during the brief period when Tim was with them. That was a helluva show.

I've long been fortunate to have plenty of friends who remember them as anything but one hit wonders. They're a fave of mine and I'll be awfully pleased when Farewell to the World arrives.

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