Crowded House in South Africa in 2007
Crowded House played to an almost-full Grand Arena at the Grand West Casino last week Tuesday (October 26) and I was lucky enough to see them. It was so great to see a mixture of generations, races and types, flowing into the venue, excitement and expectations written all over their faces and ready-to-groove bodies.
Their South African Tour was brought to us eager fans by 567 Cape Talk, Talk Radio 702 and East Coast Radio with the first show kicking off in the Mothercity.
The night started off with a set by Durban-born singer-songwriter Farryl Purkiss who’s Loop Pedal Hardware means he can create songs complete with beats, bass and vocals on his own, was a bit of a downer for the anxious fans awaiting their beloved Kiwi band, and is probably a more suited act to smaller, intimate venues. Nevertheless his songs were laid-back and easy-to-listen to.
When Crowded House finally took to their rightful spot – centre stage – the electricity in the room was turned up a few notches. With that sultry, smooth voice, Neil Finn had almost all the ladies at his feet. The band’s onstage focus and meticulous attention to tightness meant the gig was an audio experience of note. But that’s not to say the guys take themselves too seriously.
Finn often gets lost in onstage jams jokingly stating “I don’t know where I went” and he spontaneously made up a song or two on the spot, engaging the crowd in his antics. He even managed to get a gentleman onstage to proposed to his long-time girlfriend (thankfully she said yes), after which he serenaded them with their own personal ballad, another improvised lyrical piece.
They played a lot of their new songs, but treated the audience to all their classic favourites too. At times Finn’s vocals was almost drowned out by the chorus of fans singing his words back to him. Those moments gave you goose bumps and made you feel like you were part of something great!
I was continually blown away with each new song they played, overwhelmed by their big, beautiful sounds and professional yet comical onstage antics. And when the finally ended there was no way the crowd was going to let them off that easy – a full auditorium standing-ovation and deafening applause called the members back on centre spot to treat everyone to another full half hour of their greatness.
An amazing performance by musicians that have not lost their musical touch and whose catchy tunes and soulful ballads will grace the ears of listeners for many generations to come.
Image by Mick Muise from here.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
