overlap

Some gigs stand out a mile off, and this was one. As long ago as late June it was first announced that there were some dates scheduled for later in the year, and I was excited to get my hands on a ticket almost as soon as they went on sale. But that wasn't the only thing that caught my imagination. It's been on my mind for a while that it might turn out to be a decent first opportunity to wear my pink jeans until a better opportunity turned up later, but it was still interesting to see how it would have been. My feeling was right on the minimal door attention, and the handbag search ritual would have been a formality. Turning up not long after doors I had plenty of time to consider this further, as well as count up the number of seats with the venue set up that way. Around four thousand people would be interesting territory, but hiding in plain sight in a big crowd is a decent tactic, and in a crowd composed largely of parents with a few kids, there's a reasonable expectation of sensible behaviour, in a way there might not be among a more extremely focused crowd. For openers, Duke Special were their usual selves but a tiny bit lost on a half-audience mostly unfamiliar with their stuff, and constrained by circumstances to an abbreviated set to get out of the headline act's way. Their difficulties mirrored what mine might have been, as I was joined by the blokes seated next to me. At least two of whom spent way too long moaning about the band when they'd have been better staying in the bar if they were determined not to enjoy themselves. And the sort of behaviour they might have put my way in other circumstances is predictably the sort of thing I'm keen to avoid. No big deal, but being right about seated venues having their own hazards is reassuring too. Pete Wilson of Duke Special - best seen in smaller venues, while you still can. Fifteen or so years ago I had the pleasure of seeing headline act Crowded House three times. Once supported by the fabulous Voice of the Beehive, once closing a huge outdoor festival, and once at the absolute height of their fame, which ranks in my top ten gigs ever. With the sad death of Paul Hester, I wasn't sure what to expect this time around. Hester was a great drummer, but also a great character, and a reliable source of japes and gags, the sort of chemistry thing you don't easily replace even with a superior musician. New drummer Matt Sherrod is a good solid drummer, and does nothing out of place. Neil and Nick turn out a load of the sort of ad lib nonsense that I remember Hester for, and rather than a strictly choreographed script, it's a very organic feeling performance. One of the disadvantages of the more sedate audience I mentioned earlier is that characteristic combination of not-yet-Alzheimers, in which the first bars of most tracks produce the unfathomable reaction that goes "Oooh, I recognise this one, so I'm going to ruin the first thirty seconds of it by clapping to show everyone that I recognise it." Fussy complaints aside, they were excellent, especially Mark Hart's electric twelve string guitar playing, and his vocal harmonies with Neil. A two hour set meant there was plenty of value for money, and pretty much everyone should have gone happy.

Labels: Crowded House, Duke Special, gigs