The rooftop show in Manhattan’s Seaport district was transcendent.
“We’re all here for the right fucking reason,” Crowded House frontman Neil Finn said with a sentimental tinge early on as Crowded House brought their intricately detailed soft-rock catalog to NYC on Wednesday (Sept 4th).
With the Brooklyn Bridge and East River as their backdrops, Crowded House took the stage on the Rooftop at Pier 17 shortly before 8 pm. Finn’s lilting New Zealand accent distinguished his contemplative vocal style. “I can tell you’re in the mood for a sing,” he also told the crowd.
And sing they did. Each Crowded House song is a lyrical adventure, from the beachy “Teenage Summer” to the thoughtful “The Howl.” Both are from the group’s LP Gravity Stairs. They also performed the first single off the album, “Oh Hi.”
Neil Finn’s son Liam harmonized with his dad. They sounded exceptional on 2021’s “Good Times Bad.” After a few more pensive numbers, the band picked up the pace with the joyful “When You Come,” a love song.
Crowded House is completely organic when performing live. Finn’s other son, percussionist Elroy, joined his father and brother at the front of the stage for “Magic Piano” and “Four Seasons in One Day.” Elroy co-wrote the former with his dad, while his light snare brushes during the latter added a transformative layer of atmosphere.
Neil Finn and his cohorts take pride in the authentic nature of their songwriting and want to highlight that in concert. “This is what you get,” he said. “No clicks, no tracks. This is us.”
The thumping “Private Universe” showcased a darker, deeper side to Crowded House’s repertoire. And up on that rooftop, isolated from the endless throbbing of Manhattan, it felt like our own private universe.
The venue itself is perhaps the most breathtaking in all of New York. It is the very antithesis of the cement cubes that make up the variety of indoor general admission venues in the five boroughs. Rather, the Rooftop at Pier 17 offers panoramic views of lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Seaport, and if you tilt your head just right, Lady Liberty herself makes an appearance. Pier 17 does what so many s venues with larger egos of branding try and fail to do: heighten the emotional experience of concert-going.
Of course, the biggest singalong was Crowded House’s international smash “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” It is a number the crowd was clamoring for from the moment Crowded House walked out. “Plenty of time for that,” Finn said early on in response to a drunk patron. But they were smart about it: the song fell at number 18 in a setlist with over 20 songs. The effect worked: America may be most familiar with the mega-hit. But “Dream” is the apex of one of the richest catalogs in all of music.
