November 14, 2024

Crowded House – Wolfbrook Arena – November 13, 2024 (13th Floor Concert Review)

We caught up with Crowded House and Mel Parsons at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch as their Gravity Stairs Tour winds its way through Aotearoa. The 13th Floor presents Ryan Fisherman‘s review and Stephanie Cartwright’s photos for your perusal…

Crowded House, supported by Christchurch local Mel Parsons take the stage at Wolfbrook Arena, following a whirlwind year of rock legends such as Matchbox 20, Goo Goo Dolls and Thom Yorke.

After releasing their 8th studio album, Gravity Stairs, on May 31st, 2024, the band are finally on the road and ready to perform throughout Aotearoa. Songs from Gravity Stairs are mixed in with the band’s impressive repertoire that spans over nearly 3 decades. The Crowded House line up is a mix of family and close friends, frontman Neil Finn and his two sons make up half the band, with Liam Finn on guitar and Elroy Finn on drums. They are joined by percussionist Paul Taylor, and of course co-founding member Nick Seymour on bass and producer Mitchell Froom on keys.

Mel Parsons

Setting the scene for an electric night Mel Parsons played hits such as Just Cause You Don’t Want Me off her record Glass Heart, produced by Mitchell Froom. Mel is no stranger to the live stage and has consistently performed her award winning sound for over a decade. The set was a perfect blend of folk meets alt-country, captivating the audience and allowing us to ride that wave of anticipation for the headline act. Mel was joined by an all star band which consisted of Jed Parsons on drums, Josh Logan on lead, and Aaron Stewart on bass.

Crowded House

When You Come kicked the stadium into gear as Crowded House took the stage, filling the evening with familiar favourites and newer tracks. The band introduced songs such as Teenage Summer and Oh Hi from their latest album Gravity Stairs. These songs have found a home in the Crowded House sound, seamlessly fitting alongside back to back big hitters Fall At Your Feet and It’s Only Natural.

Highlights of the evening included highly iconic and influential Don’t Dream It’s Over, and Night Song from their touring album. This transitioned seamlessly into Message to My Girl, which paid tribute to Neil’s other work in Split Enz. The crowd began to move as The Howl, sung by Liam, chugged along with its motorik beat and dreamy guitar lines. By the time they performed Locked Out there was almost no one left in their seat (Neil had a quickly resolved, very Kiwi dispute with a patron who wasn’t happy with the dancing occurring around him).

My absolute favourite song of the evening, Distant Sun, closed the set to the sound of roaring guitar and poetically resolving the song with “I fell asleep, and the dust lay on the ground,” in an extended outro.

Crowded House

As the arena rumbled with the cheers and stomps of a crowded full house hungry for more, the band returned to the stage with Something So Strong. A special request from the audience brought us Now We’re Getting Somewhere, a recent resurrection from their early 90s setlists. Hazy guitar and Kiwi nostalgia brought us into Weather With You, reminiscent of summers gone by. Alas the dream has to end and Crowded House farewell the audience with one last song. Neil strums the acoustic guitar and fans lit up the crowd with thousands of torches to Better Be Home Soon to finish off the remarkable evening.

Ryan Fisherman

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Stephanie Cartwright:

Crowded House: