Last night, I headed up to the Jazz Cafe to see Neil Finn play the last of the Q Awards shows. The awards shows are a yearly event, leading up to the Q Awards. I have been lucky enough to be involved in recording the shoes for a few years running. This year I wasn’t but did manage to get a few tickets to see this intimate gig from the Crowded House frontman.
The place was buzzing with expectation when we got there and a good crowd had assembled around the stage in the Camden venue. He came onstage at 9pm after a good tour of the balcony and down the stairs. Cue rapturous applause.
He made his way through a few songs on a Fender strat with the horns cut off, and then made for the piano. An impromptu version of ‘Rocket Man’ after a shouted request from the crowd (a repeated request that popped up again later on).
Highlights at the piano were his ‘Message to My Girl’ and a tune announced as one of the first he written ‘Tired Eyes’. He moved back to the guitar and invited his son Elroy to the stage to contribute to a few tunes.
Then came Johnny Marr, who’s involvement had been hinted at earlier by a shout of a request for a Smiths cover.
He added guitar and vocals to Distant Sun, before they went into ‘There is a Light that Never goes out’ and then ‘She Will Have Her Way’, with Neil playing an open tuned 12 string and Johnny Marr adding a chorus of Rocket Man for that lone member of the crowd.
He finished with ‘Don’t Dream its Over’ after remarkable harmonies from the crowd on ‘Fall at Your Feet’.
Overall a great performance of some of the less-often performed songs of his catalogue. He mentioned he is due to be honoured at the Q awards. A great time had by all I think.
Filed under: Music, finn, gig, jazz cafe, johnny, marr, neil, Q awards, review
