Recorded in 1996 at the Sydney Opera House plaza, “Crowded House” plays their farewell concert to an appreciative crowd of over 120,000. The 24-song set contains amazingly pure and tight sound with Neil Finn’s voice at its best. There are no stand-out cuts, as the band gives it best performance to date on every track. It is flawless.
The comments from the band to the audience between songs makes this one of the most personable concerts ever recorded. Slight variations on some songs and an accent here and there make the fans sing along throughout. The closing song, “Don’t Dream its Over” is as emotional as ever, with shots of the crowd signing along and the band emoting, realizing this really is their last song together. It’s one of the best concerts of the last two decades.
The extras include an optional commentary by the band in subtitles. The second disc has a 20-minute documentary about the enormous planning it took to stage this event, mostly narrated by the band’s manager. Also included are a few featurettes, a photo gallery and the full “Crowded House” discography.
The DVD also featured remastered audio and adaptation to 5.1 stereo surround, anamorphic 16:9 ratio widescreen display, an audio commentary with Finn, Seymour and Mark Hart, a photo gallery of the concert and a full discography listing of the band up to 1999.
Disc two also includes three demos recorded by the band at various points: “Spirit of the Stairs” (during the disc two credits), and “Italian Plastic” and “Instinct” (during the photo montage).
line Up
Crowded House
• Neil Finn Vocals, guitar and piano
• Nick Seymour Bass guitars and backing vocals
• Mark Hart Guitars, Electric twelve-string guitar, keyboards and backing vocals
• Paul Hester Drums, percussion and backing vocals
Additional musicians
• Tim Finn Vocals and guitar (“Weather with You” and “It’s Only Natural” only)
• Peter Jones Drums and backing vocals (“Sister Madly” only)
• Jules Bowen Keyboards
Disc 1:
1. Mean To Me
2. World Where You Live
3. When You Come
4. Private Universe
5. Four Seasons In One Day
6. Fall At Your Feet
7. Whispers And Moans
8. Hole In The River
9. Better Be Home Soon
10. Pineapple Head
11. Distant Sun
12. Into Temptation
13. Everything Is Good For You
14. Locked Out
15. Something So Strong
16. Sister Madly
17. Italian Plastic
18. Weather With You
19. It’s Only Natural
20. There Goes God
21. Fingers Of Love
22. In My Command
23. Throw Your Arms Around Me
24. Don’t Dream It’s Over
25. End Credits – Farewell To The World Concert
Disc 2:
1. ‘planning The Event’ – Documentary
2. ‘the Day They Brought The House Down’ Documentary
3. Channel 7 ‘witness’
4. Italian Plastic (Photo Gallery Plus Audio)
5. Instinct (Photo Gallery Plus Audio)
6. End Credits – Farewell To The World Dvd