Neil Finn: A crowded house expected for Largo solo shows

Crowded House wraps its two-month North American tour with a final stop tonight in Denver. But lead singer and songwriter Neil Finn won’t let any dust settle after the performance: He’s heading back to Los Angeles, which he calls “an old home away from home,”  for a pair of solo concerts this weekend at Largo at the Coronet.

“Having done three or four months of Crowded House shows,” he told me Thursday, “it sounds very appealing to dip into my other repertoire. I haven’t done as much of that as I’d like to do. There’s a freedom, and an intensity, playing solo that I really enjoy, and I’d like to do more.”

While fans should rightly expect generous samplings from his three solo albums and perhaps a song or two from either of the two Finn Brothers albums he recorded with big brother Tim, Neil said he’s not by any means closing the door on the Crowded House songbook.

“The great thing about it is because it’s just me, I can go anywhere, so there probably will be a few Crowded House songs,” he said. “They’re fresh enough from having done them on tour, and doing them as solo things is also quite appealing.”

Because Finn has carved out a reputation as a a songwriter’s songwriter, one who has crafted some of the catchiest pop-rock songs of the last quarter-century, I couldn’t resist asking how he responds to some of the popular and critical reaction to Crowded House’s latest album, “Intriguer.” One writer, I mentioned to him, suggested, “It seems that Neil is no longer interested in writing anthems like [the group’s 1987 breakthrough hit] ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over.’ ”

“That assumes I was ever interested in writing anthems,” he said with a chuckle. “I never really thought about it like that. It turned out that that one in particular, and a few others, took on another life because they became hits. I never knew when I wrote it that I was writing an anthem. I just knew I liked the song, and that I was very happy with it.

“It’s a very interesting point,” he added. “But I know that for the first six months after the first Crowded House album came out, there weren’t many people saying, ‘This is just an album full of anthems.’  In a parallel universe, there are songs on this [‘Intriguer’] album that I think could be anthems if they were on the radio all of a sudden. But it’s a different scenario now; it’s certainly not something I pick and choose.”

After the L.A. shows Saturday and Sunday, both sold out according to Largo's website, the New Zealand native will take a bit of a break in Hawaii before Crowded House’s tour continues into the fall with shows in England, South Africa and Australia.

“We’ve had a grand time all around,” he said. “When you do a lot of gigs back to back, you get better in a way that doesn’t happen just in rehearsal….

“The set’s different every night,” he said. “People are having to get more inventive about sowing the seeds for obscurities. Last night, one guy brought up a scroll with the entire lyrics of a song off the first album that we’d never done live: ‘Tombstone.’ We actually did it because he was so kind to write out all the words. Nick held them up so I could read them.

“There’ve been a lot of good twists and turns like that,” he said. “We’re just really enjoying each other’s company, and really enjoying the gigs.”

-- Randy Lewis

Photo: Neil Finn. Credit: Tony Nyberg

Comments

[Mary]

Neil has 2 solo albums, Try Whistling This and One Nil/One All (depending on which country you are in) what is the 3rd one?

[Randy Lewis]

Mary, Good question. I also consider "7 Worlds Collide" to be a Neil Finn solo project, even with all the friends who turned up to help out on that one. Hope that helps.

[Mayzee]

Thank you for the fabulous article. I was there when Crowded House played Ottawa, Canada in July and got the privilege of meeting Neil outside the tour bus. He seemed very surprised when I told him that, as a songwriter, I consider him a mentor and that when I write my own compositions, he sets the bar high and, because of that, it spurs me to write better and to work at making the best songs and not just good songs. He responded, "What? Mentor? How's that working for you?" Does he not realize just how good he is? He's the type of writer that, when you think he's going to go one way, he takes a left at Albuquerque and you go, "Whoa... I didn't expect that." And then the song takes off to a whole other level. He's not the cheap wine in the section where the cheap folks are. He's the good stuff... you know... the stuff you savour and wonder why the 'bleep' are those people over there drinking that cheap crap?

Ace interview. This man doesn't always get the respect he deserves, and I appreciate that you give it to him.

[Holly Macriss]

I took my kids 13 & 10 to see CH in Saratoga three weeks ago and at one point in the show Neil invited all the kids in the audience to come down to the stage and sit on the edge of the stage or right in front on the ground. My 13 year old son went down and I was so jealous. Neil is such a great person and communicates with his fans like we are friends. CH has always been a group connected on a different level with their followers. It's more than just entertainment. It's a connection with the music that has deep meaning and a heck of a lot of fun to listen and sing along to. Neil is a master song writer, musician and family man. I'm greatful I get to be in his presence, with or without CH, every few years. Thank you for this wonderful article. I wish I was in SoCal to attend his concert!

[Mary]

Thanks Randy, but in that case there have been two 7 Worlds Collide CDs, the Original in 2001 and 7 Worlds Collide II(of which the cd was titled The Sun Came Out)

[RB]

I just saw the Crowded House show last night in Denver. A great, fun show, even if no real rarities were aired. Neil, Paul and the guys brought it again...but I am very jealous that I will be missing this weekend's Largo solo shows. Neil is living proof that songwriters don't necessarily do their best work when they are young. The last two Crowded House albums, particularly the brilliant "Time On Earth", are every bit the equal of their previous work (and, in some cases, even better).

[Mary]

Rb,I am glad you enjoyed the show,however Paul passed away in 2005.

[Easyread]

Just to clarify, I'm the person who wrote out the words to "Tombstone" for the SF show at the Warfield. Eventhough I told Neil it was me after the show, he may have forgotten that I am indeed a female:) I actually handed the scroll to Nick first as they were coming off stage and Nick gave it to Neil during the encore. So Neil probably remembers a man handing him the scroll. Either way, I was overjoyed when he decided to play it for me!