In 1981 I stood on my seat at Festival Hall and decided that Tim Finn was a god. Last night I sat for most of the show and decided that, although not god-like, he’s still damn good. All the Enz are.
There were a couple of moments early on in last night’s show when you could tell these guys don’t play together often, but they were minor and the show was generally a blast. Noel Crombie’s costumes and set designs were outlandish and gorgeous - the man must have an amazing brain. And he still plays good spoons. Eddie Raynor’s keyboard skills were fully on display and his arrangements of the songs were lovely.
Tim Finn works the crowd really effectively and more explicitly than Neil does. Even in his fifties he’s a manic and rivetting presence on stage. I mostly only noticed Neil when he had a guitar solo. I was reminded why I was always much more of a fan of Tim than of Neil. And why, having been an Enz fan, I could never really be a Crowded House fan. The Enz had an edge to them, a slight anarchy and a sharp wit lurking in their songs and performance that didn’t exist in Crowded House.
The highlights for me were Stuff & Nonsense - my favourite Enz song, Message to My Girl - it’s just so pretty, I See Red, Nobody Takes Me Seriously and Wake Up Charlie.
