Add this to the LONG list of reasons I love Neil Finn (half of DU will appreciate this)...

[grace0418]

Tonight I watched a second AMAZING Crowded House show in as many days and Neil was feeling rather loquacious. At one point he said "I don't know why I keep talking. I guess sometimes when you've talked way past the point you should've stopped, the only thing to do is talk some more. Just ask Hillary Clinton!'

:)

[ghostsofgiants]

1. Oh snap!

[grace0418]

2. I think that's exactly what I said!

:loveya: Neil Finn :loveya:

[ghostsofgiants]

4. I've never actually listened to Crowded House or anything,,

But he gets a thumbs up for that joke.

[grace0418]

5. The thing that's very telling is that he's from New Zealand, on the other side of

the freaking globe, and *he's* sick of hearing about her. He also made mention of some American friends wanting to move to NZ because they are afraid McCain is going to win. I raised my hand at that comment.

I just adore him. Funny, smart, incredibly talented *AND* a liberal too. I'm glad he has children, there need to be more people like him in the world.

[grace0418]

3. just a wee kick n/t

[Maestro]

6. Back in the day I loved Crowded House and Squeeze too!

Glad to know they are still kickin' and that Neil is keeping up with US politics.

[grace0418]

7. Neil sounded better than he has in a decade this weekend. It was AMAZING.

I think Saturday may have been the best Finn-related show I've been to ever. I love Squeeze too!

[Maestro]

8. I'll have to check out the new stuff.

Didn't one of the Finn brothers recently pass away?

[truedelphi]

10. I hadn't heard that

I thought it was someone in Crowded House, maybe last year sometime.

[grace0418]

11. No, they are both still alive, well, and recording and touring. Paul Hester, the drummer from

Crowded House, committed suicide three years ago however. Maybe that's who you are remembering. His death really affected Neil, and he and Nick Seymour (the third original member of CH) started hanging out again. Soon they started recording music, asked Mark Hart (a later addition) to rejoin them. At the time, Neil was working on his third solo album, and it slowly began to morph into the newest Crowded House album. They auditioned new drummers for ages before finding Matt Sherrod (who used to drum for Beck, among others). Matt is an AMAZING drummer and such a sweet guy, he's a great fit.

Time On Earth came out last summer and they toured the US in the late summer/early fall. I personally am only lukewarm on the album. And while the reunion tour was a blast, Neil had vocal troubles through a lot of it and the hoopla over the tour lead them to focus on playing their more well-known stuff. Plenty of people in the audience only knew the "Hey Now, Hey Now" song.

This latest mini-tour, however, is a whole different story. Neil sounded fantastic, they were really tight, they played tons of old stuff. They also played about 6 songs off the album coming out late 2008/early 2009 and they are fantastic! The new album will be all Crowded House, with each member contributing from the get-go. I can't wait.

Sorry, that was waayyy more than you wanted to read I'm sure. I'm still just so jazzed about that show!

:)

[Maestro]

13. Oh good. I don't know how I got it into my head that one of the Finns

had died. I am really going to check out this new album and thanks for the info. I love it when I rediscover old bands still doing good stuff. The Cure, totally different genre, is coming out with yet another album soon and I have heard two singles which sound great.

[grace0418]

14. Paul Hester's suicide was on the news quite a bit so maybe that's where you

made the association.

I don't know what CH music you have, but their most recent album (Time on Earth) is a bit spotty for them, so I wouldn't necessarily say YES, RUSH OUT AND GET IT. There are some gems but also some clunkers, which is not usual for them. If you don't have Together Alone, seek it out. It is a stunning album, absolutely amazing. Also Temple of Low Men and Woodface are worth getting. Or maybe just their greatest hits. But I think, if I had to pick a favorite album it would be Together Alone. Sigh...

Look for their new album at the end of this year or the beginning of next. If it's as good as I am anticipating, based on what I've heard live so far, it will be excellent.

Neil Finn also recorded two solo albums, Try Whistling This and Nil 1 (or sometimes Nil All). Both of those are excellent. And he recorded two albums with his brother Tim. One is (I think) just called Finn or The Finn Brothers and it is fantastic. The other is called Everyone Is Here and I'm not crazy about it, although it has a few gems as well.

I'm a big Cure fan too, although I haven't bought much of their more recent stuff. I'll check out the new songs.

It sounds like you and I have very similar taste in music. :)

[grace0418]

15. Brain fart.

Neil's second album is called One Nil or One All (depending on the country).

[Maestro]

16. Similar taste?

I am very very eclectic. I actually on a regular basis am into extreme metal, death, grind, metalcore, thrash, and hardcore industrial music, EBM, but I do have an affection for the original alt music from the 80s and any band continuing this especially groups like The Cure, The Cult. I also like folky rock too like the BoBeans, who btw, just put out a wonderful new album. :)

[grannylib]

9. *lol* That's great, hee hee! Neil is a freakin' genius, and I've been

in love with his music forever, since the Split Enz days and right on through today.

So not only a great musician and songwriter, but smart too :-)

[grace0418]

12. Genius he is. That's for sure. Being a Split Enz fan, you'll appreciate that he busted

out "Message to My Girl" on Saturday night. That was a real treat. He sang it beautifully too. Sigh...