Crowded House, August 29th & 30th at the Mountain Winery, Saratoga

First off: Neil Finn's hair and pants were understated yet impressive. Dignified and stately, yet with a rough, raw edge that bespoke volumes of scrappiness, tenacity, and visionary genius.

Sorry. Had to get that out of the way for the rabid F.O.T.E.* contingent in attendance at the second show. And now for the review proper. Ahem.

This is no nostalgia act.

Known in the States primarily for their hit "Hey Now" (a #2 Billboard smash in 1987) off their self-titled 1986 debut album, Crowded House went on to release 3 more studio albums** to increasingly total global acclaim (and increasingly total Stateside anonymity), before calling it a day in 1996. Yet those in attendance at Saratoga's Mountain Winery on these two dreamy, moon-soaked nights of August 29th and 30th bore witness to just how poorly the label "one-hit wonder" fits this band. Out of 30 total songs*** played over the course of two evenings, only 8 songs were repeated on both nights. I've seen plenty of bands twice on the same tour, and far more often than not the set lists are nigh-identical. Maybe one or two songs' worth of changeup - the rest of the set is "dialed in." It's staggering to see a band pull off a stunt like this, and still deliver a powerhouse show each night. The second night, they were six songs into their set before they repeated a song from the night before. And every song a knockout.

I don't know why I'm surprised. Crowded House, anchored by Finn's crack songwriting talents, produced some of the most deeply-satisfying pop music ever made. It's not just that they never made a bad album - they barely made a bad song. Each of their albums is dense with hooks, rhythms and textures that are unique to that album - while always dovetailing snugly with the band's distinctive identity and rock-based pop sound. Touring behind their fine new studio album Time On Earth ("fine" like treasures and clear bright skies, not "fine" like "just okay"), they seem reenergized and at the absolute top of their form: there is already talk of getting into the studio this year for a followup, and I for one can't wait.

Crowded House are Neil Finn (lead vocal, guitars), Nick Seymour (bass), Mark Hart (keyboards, guitars), and Matt Sherrod (drums). They are joined on tour by Neil's son Liam Finn (keyboards, guitars), aged 23.**** This is a great band. Matt Sherrod, known for his stickwork backing up Beck, is an inspired choice to replace the late and much-lamented Paul Hester (to whom the band dedicated a sublime reading of Hester's "Italian Plastic" Thursday night). His unfamiliarity with the band's material was a plus, according to Finn. They wanted a fresh perspective, a new angle. That instinct proved right-on. Sherrod's exhilarated and exhilarating playing provides the confidence and the spark that drives the show. With that solid foundation to build on, the rest of the House is free to rock like they've never done before. This is no knock on Hester, who was a great performer - bringing an indelible wit and humor to the show along with his always-solid drumming. I think it's just down to the maturing of the rest of the band. Ten years on, they've lived through tragedy and doubt, but they've clearly come through it all with clear eyes and a renewed will. They decided to reform the band not as some pathetic dead-end last-ditch resort, but because the lessons they've learned have led them back home. For this band at least, maturity brings with it the ability to rock with a relaxed intelligence rare in Rock.*****

And rock they did. Holy shit. I can't even start mentioning or describing songs. I'll be here all day and not do it justice. The first night's show left me marveling at what a tight, clean, masterful unit these guys have become. Onstage, past incarnations of the band have often strayed into (or lived in) the realm of the "wild, loose, and wooly" - with excellent results, and all part of the band's charm of course. Yet to see them like this...wow. Mind you, they still know how to go off-script, screw around royally and keep the audience enjoyably off-balance, but having this dimension of absolute top-flight professional musicianship there to back it up has given them the ability to showcase the songs themselves better than ever before. When I saw Finn tour behind his solo albums with a crack band in tow, he played a significant number of CH songs, of course. And the band was so tight and on-time that I found myself thinking, "wow, I wish Crowded House could have played that song that well!"

Well they can now. But they bring with it all of the joy and personality, all of the family feeling of a real band - of Crowded House.

Don't even dream it's over.