CONCERT REVIEW
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
If you were alive in the '80s and '90s, it's hard not to go past a Crowded House song without some kind of feeling being ignited.
On Saturday night the iconic Australian/New Zealand rock band brought on the warm and fuzzy's for 10,000 people - something so strong - at Centennial Vineyards in Bowral, for the A Day on the Green Concert series.
I must confess I've never rushed out to buy their albums, while my husband wasn't sure if he would know any of their songs (hubby does live in a nice "bubble" most of the time and is unaware of much happening in the world), but we both danced and sang the night away to hit after hit.
When You Come, Into Temptation, Don't Dream It's Over, Pineapple Head, Better Be Home Soon, Private Universe and Four Seasons In One Day (amongst others) all had the crowd swaying and chanting - there was even one lone lighter being held during Weather With You.
We nearly didn't make it to the open-air gig after the pre-booked car-park was over sold (i'll get to that later) but we were so grateful to have found our seats as Neil Finn, Nick Seymour and their crew began their famous melodies.
Neil's voice was unfaltering despite his age, sounding just as good as he ever has.
His sons Elroy and Liam have joined the family business and are part of the current lineup, while American pianist Mitchell Froom taken over the keys (there was another percussionist on stage but I didn't catch his name - sorry long-haired man, you are also a superstar).
We watched from set seats which was great for the view but not so conducive to the cheese and antipasto we'd brought, but others in general admission had the right idea of getting comfortable on picnic blankets and cushions to devour their spreads.
The wine was great and there was even a pop-up Centennial Vineyard restaurant in the mix of food outlets and trucks which were serving an array of delights.
It's been 10 years since A Day on the Green has visited the vineyard due to wet and wild weather having too much of an impact. The venue has since undergone renovations to the concert site to ensure the show will go on, though at the expense of shrinking the car parking capacity.
Unfortunately they had over-sold the on-site car-park, with the area rendered too muddy to let more cars in - the attendants making this decision 15 minutes before Crowded House were to begin, despite most of us sitting there waiting for around an hour or more.
We had set off from Wollongong to get there to watch support act The Tesky Brothers, which did sounded fabulous from our car windows as we sat stationary just outside the gates of the vineyard.
Once told to drive to Bowral and get a shuttle bus back (which would have gotten us back to the venue for about 7pm) we were exceptionally lucky to find a spot on the road a short walk from the vineyard, though I do feel for the other thousand people who also nearly missed the show.
Lesson learned, arrive early if you can (hard when getting a babysitter). My other advice is use the toilets early as many were out-of-order and not in a great state by the time we arrived (some disarray is expected at a festival but many toilets were malfunctioning).
Overall watching one of the Southern Hemisphere's greatest bands live amongst the grape vines was such a treat, and great to see Crowded House are just like a fine wine and only get better with age.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.