Set snugly within the historic Chastain Park neighborhood in northern Atlanta, Georgia, the Cadence Bank Amphitheatre played host to Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Famers Crowded House on Friday night. With a posted capacity of nearly 7,000, this summer-months-only outdoor facility was opened back in 1944 and has since been decreed as “Atlanta’s Oldest Outdoor Music Venue.”
Out on the road in support of Gravity Stairs, the band’s eighth studio album released back in May, Crowded House continues to be anchored by founding members Neil Finn (lead vocals, guitar) and Nick Seymour (bass). However, with a lineup that has evolved over the years, Crowded House is now generally a family affair with Finn’s sons Liam (guitar, vocals) and Elroy (drums) joining keyboardist Mitchell Froom to formally round out the band. A little bit of trivia – on this day back in 1986 (August 30), Crowded House’s debut self-titled LP landed on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart at #196.
Following a violet afternoon storm that rolled through town shortly before the doors were set to open, multi-instrumentalist Liam appeared before the early audience attendees at 8:00pm to help warm up the crowd. An accomplished musician in his own right, Liam mesmerized fans for 30 minutes as he bounced between instruments while singing over loop tracks for original tunes such as “Lead Balloon” and “Fire in Your Belly.”
With the evening temperatures now pleasantly in the mid-70s and the threat of weather dissipated, Crowded House causally took to the stage at 9:00pm sharp to the tune “Recurring Dream.” Cadence Bank Amphitheatre has an 11:00pm noise curfew – a point the band joked they were made aware of – but two hours was plenty of time for Crowded House to showcase their musical catalog that dates back nearly 40 years.
Among causal family banter and audience engagement, Neil lead Crowded House through a celebration of Gravity Stairs, with the band sprinkling five new tracks throughout their main set, including recent singles “Teenage Summer” and “Oh Hi.” Neil’s distinctive voice has aged gracefully, and the band’s tight musicianship was on full display as these new songs flowed seemingly between legacy tracks such as “Fall at Your Feet” and “Sister Madly.”
Crowded House’s 20-song initial set reached its cellphone-recording pinnacle when the band delivered a trifecta of its most popular and timeless hits in “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” “Something So Strong,” and “Weather With You” before quickly retiring prior to their encore. For many in the audience, including myself, these songs surfaced youthful memories of an era long past.
Returning to their early roots for an encore, Crowded House treated their dedicated fans to “I Got You” and “Sweet Dreams,” covers from Split Enz, a band originally formed in the early 1970s by Neil’s brother, Tim. Crowded House then put a bow on their Atlanta evening with an emotional rendition of their fan favorite hit “Better Be Home Soon” pulled from their second studio album, Temple of Low Men (1988).
This leg of the Gravity Stairs Tour continues on through the end of the month, wrapping up at Vina Robles Amphitheatre in Paso Robles, California, on Saturday, September 28th. The band then travels overseas to the United Kingdom, where they start a European leg at the sold out Cavern Club on Sunday, October 6th.
Crowded House:
Neil Finn – Lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion
Nick Seymour – Bass, backing vocals, keyboards
Mitchell Fromm – Keyboards
Liam Finn – Guitar, backing vocals
Elroy Finn – Drums, backing vocals
Setlist:
1.) Recurring Dream
2.) World Where You Live
3.) Teenage Summer
4.) Fall at Your Feet
5.) To the Island
6.) The Howl
7.) Oh Hi
8.) When You Come
9.) Private Universe
10.) Some Greater Plan (For Claire)
11.) Four Seasons in One Day
12.) Sister Madly
13.) Either Side of the World
14.) Night Song
15.) Message to My Girl (Split Enz cover)
16.) The Other/I
17.) Distant Sun
18.) Don’t Dream It’s Over
19.) Something So Strong
20.) Weather With You
Encore
21.) I Got You (Split Enz cover)
22.) Fingers of Love
23.) Sweet Dreams (Split Enz cover)
24.) Better Be Home Soon
Follow Crowded House Online
Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
