Please excuse me while I get a touch sentimental. So, we were in Philadelphia this weekend to see Crowded House. Color me bitter that my most favoritest band of all time decides to reunite only to not play DC*. But Philadelphia is a mere three hours away, so all was good. Or would have been had the trip there not been the most harrowing ever. At one point, I may have said, “Did you mean to take us on a tour of the projects?” I’m really not a very nice person. (At a rest stop in Maryland, we ran into someone we hadn’t seen a while. He was surprised to hear that Crowded House actually has fans willing to travel to see them. I tried not to be bitter. I didn’t really succeed.)

But Neil Finn and company made up for the all the badness of the trip. They still sound amazing. How old does it make me feel that Neil’s son Liam was one of the opening bands (and plays with CH)? And how old does it make Neil feel? Lord Kissington and I were among the younger people there, except for small children accompanying their parents. Liam was really good (his voice sounds much like dear old dad’s), and I am kicking myself for not buying his album at the show, since it’s an import and crazy expensive on Amazon (it’s supposed to be coming out here at some point). I did find a live EP to download. Check him out.

I have approximately five all-time favorite Crowded House songs**, and as the show was drawing to a close, they had only played one of them (“Fall at Your Feet.” I am such a dork that I actually shed a couple of tears when they started playing it. Lord Kissington tried to pretend he wasn’t with me, which was hard since it was freezing and we were clinging to each other to preserve bodily warmth.). And I didn’t really expect to hear “Into Temptation” or “Nails in My Feet” since both of them are kind of downers. But I was still sort of sad that they weren’t playing my other two favorites. But then I had a total Nelson “Moon River” moment***. The second encore was “Mean to Me” and “Better Be Home Soon.” There might have been some tears.

I leave you with the video for “Into Temptation”

and my favorite lyrics from “Nails in My Feet” (I was going to include the video, but it’s really goofy and for some reason, Neil looks a lot like my mother in it, which is all kinds of disturbing, and now whenever I watch my Crowded House videos on DVD, I will be forced to skip over it.)

The savage review
It left me gasping
But it warms my heart to see that you can do it too
Total surrender
Your touch is so tender
Your skin is like water on a burning beach
And it brings me relief

*They played DC approximately 42 times during their original incarnation, but I always missed them for reasons such as not being allowed to go to shows in the city on weeknights and at least twice being out of the country when they played. It was tragic.
**I think pretty much all of their songs are genius, I just happen to think that these five are extra genius. And all five remind me of very specific periods in my life, hence the occasional tear.
***In the Simpsons episode where Bart gets a driver license, he, Milhouse, Nelson, and Martin rent a car and pretend that they are going to the National Grammar Rodeo at the Sheraton Hotel, Canada. They end up in Branson, Missouri, where Nelson insists that they go to see Andy Williams. At the end of Andy Williams’ show, Nelson has this rapturous look on his face and he says, “I didn’t think he was going to play ‘Moon River,” and then, bam! Second encore.”