Cultural Heroes - Review This reading is about a dad called Neil Finn and his boys Liam and Elroy. To fully understand the text, you will need to find meanings to the following words. Copy and paste them here:
sacred - connected with God or a god or dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.CROWDED HOUSE in Christchurch 10 March 2021
to this mainland audience, they were truly “heroes, just for one day”.
REVIEW: The sound of Te Awamutu had a truly sacred ring at Christchurch Arena on Wednesday night.
In their first visit to the region since February 2011, Crowded House made the Garden City the epicentre of the musical universe, as it hosted “the biggest gig in the world right now”.
The South Island’s largest city wasn’t supposed to host the first outing for the retooled, triple-Finned beloved band (that honour was supposed to fall to Hamilton), but events up north in the last couple of weeks resulted in a rejig that co-founder and leader singer Neil Finn described as “fitting and fair” to a city where so much has happened in the past decade.
“We can’t tell you how good it is to be here,” Finn enthused after opening the slick, sonically and emotionally satisfying two-hour set with the evergreen Weather With You. “We feel like the luckiest people in the world.” Yes, thanks to New Zealand’s team of five million, the now five-piece (plus mysterious occasional percussionist “Paul”) got to play in front of near-packed venue and hear a chorus of thousands, mainly Generation Xers and older, relive their youth.
As most in the audience would have hoped, they worked their way through their many contributions to the “Great Antipodean Songbook”, from early hits like Mean to Me and World Where You Live to ‘90s pop perfections like Distant Sun, Four Seasons in One Day, Fall at Your Feet and Private Universe (with their lush arrangements and evocative lyrics) and the more rockier numbers like Locked Out and In My Command.
Finn the elder, with his hair looking more like eclectic film-maker David Lynch’s every day, himself commanded the stage as always. If possible, he was even more sprightly than ever, whether that was thanks to being back in the saddle after such a long absence, his short sabbatical with Fleetwood Mac, or having his two boys – Liam and Elroy – finally part of his most successful project.
For their part, they looked as if they’d been there for years, Elroy energetic and en pointe with his drumming, while Liam not only easily took up harmonising duties from his Uncle Tim, but helped drive the songscapes along with his guitar playing.
Mitchell Froom who assisted the nascent Crowded House establish their sound back in the early days, took on a variety of instruments with aplomb, while co-founder Nick Seymour (who has travelled all the way from Ireland’s County Sligo for the tour) threatened to steal the show with his kilt, one that Neil Finn described as “a little bit see-through”.
8Of course, one of the hallmarks of a Crowded House concert has always been the banter – and the quintet did not disappoint. Reminiscing about Christchurch visits past, which included a famous free concert in Hagley Park to ten times this crowd, Neil reminded Elroy of the time he took him on the
hydroslide, aged around four, only to lose him halfway down – an incident that resulted in a lot of screaming and another attempt that ended the same way.
Liam recounted his one less-than-successful stop in the city at age 16, when he and the members of his band Betchadupa attempted to get breakfast on the Sunday morning following a Saturday night gig. “We tried four places – and they all turned us away, because it was Mother’s Day, and we didn’t look like we had a Mum with us.”
“I’ve never heard that story,” his surprised Dad said. “That was a time when I was keeping a lot from you,” came the swift response.
We also got to learn how a young Liam helped write the surreal lyrics for 1993 song Pineapple Head, uttered while delirious with a fever. “The publishing rights issue still has to be sorted,” Neil joked.
But among the laughter and hearty sing-a-longs, there were also plenty of poignant moments. Don’t Dream It’s Over was dedicated to recently deceased Australian music industry legend Michael Gudinski, before Neil got the crowd on their feet, a place where they stayed for the last 40 minutes of the show, by introducing Something So Strong as a “song for Christchurch”.
A smattering of new music off the upcoming album To The Island was greeted with an equally warm reception – the eponymous single and Playing With Fire (where they were joined by impressive evening opener Reb Fountain and her band) the highlights – while there were also covers of The Chicks’ Silent House (co-written by Neil) and a David Bowie classic, an encore that brought the house down and provided a fitting end to a magical, cathartic night.
This new iteration of Crowded House might have to wait a while to realise their “big plans” (“we’ve got to get the rest of the world working first,” Neil
admitted), but, to this mainland audience, they were truly “heroes, just for one day”.
epicentre - the central point of something
gig - Gig is slang for a live musical performance, recording session, or other (usually paid) engagement of a musician or ensemble.
rejig - organize (something) differently; rearrange.
slick - done or operating in an impressively smooth and efficient way.
sonic - denoting, relating to, or of the nature of sound or sound waves.
venue - the place where something happens, especially an organized event such as a concert, conference, or sports competition.
"the club is the city's ma
percussionist - A percussionist is a person who plays percussion instruments such as drums.
sprightly - (especially of an old person) lively; full of energy.
sabbatical -a period of paid leave granted to a university teacher or other worker for study or travel, traditionally one year for every seven years worked.
nascent - (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.
banter - the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks.
surreal -having the qualities of surrealism; bizarre.
aplomb - self-confidence or assurance, especially when in a demanding situation.
encore - a demand for repetition or reappearance made by an audience. 2a : a reappearance or additional performance demanded by an audience. b : a second achievement especially that surpasses the first.
cathartic - providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions; causing catharsis.
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Discuss and explain the following phrases:
the Garden City - christchurch a lush arrangement - impressive sounding music that's organised evocative lyrics- liyas that make you think poignant moments - very meaningful moment
CROWDED HOUSE in Christchurch 10 March 2021
to this mainland audience, they were truly “heroes, just for one day”.
REVIEW: The sound of Te Awamutu had a truly sacred ring at Christchurch Arena on Wednesday night.
In their first visit to the region since February 2011, Crowded House made the Garden City the epicentre of the musical universe, as it hosted “the biggest gig in the world right now”.
The South Island’s largest city wasn’t supposed to host the first outing for the retooled, triple-Finned beloved band (that honour was supposed to fall to Hamilton), but events up north in the last couple of weeks resulted in a rejig that co-founder and leader singer Neil Finn described as “fitting and fair” to a city where so much has happened in the past decade.
“We can’t tell you how good it is to be here,” Finn enthused after opening the slick, sonically and emotionally satisfying two-hour set with the evergreen Weather With You. “We feel like the luckiest people in the world.” Yes, thanks to New Zealand’s team of five million, the now five-piece (plus mysterious occasional percussionist “Paul”) got to play in front of a near-packed venue and hear a chorus of thousands, mainly Generation Xers and older, relive their youth.
As most in the audience would have hoped, they worked their way through their many contributions to the “Great Antipodean Songbook”, from early hits like Mean to Me and World Where You Live to ‘90s pop perfections like Distant Sun, Four Seasons in One Day, Fall at Your Feet and Private Universe (with their lush arrangements and evocative lyrics) and the more rockier numbers like Locked Out and In My Command.
Finn the elder, with his hair looking more like eclectic film-maker David Lynch’s every day, himself commanded the stage as always. If possible, he was even more sprightly than ever, whether that was thanks to being back in the saddle after such a long absence, his short sabbatical with Fleetwood Mac, or having his two boys – Liam and Elroy – finally part of his most successful project.
For their part, they looked as if they’d been there for years, Elroy energetic and en pointe with his drumming, while Lia m not only easily took up harmonising duties from his Uncle Tim, but helped drive the songscapes along with his guitar playing.
Mitchell Froom who assisted the nascent Crowded House establish their sound back in the early days, took on a variety of instruments with aplomb, while co-founder Nick Seymour (who has travelled all the way from Ireland’s County Sligo for the tour) threatened to steal the show with his kilt, one that Neil Finn described as “a little bit see-through”.
Of course, one of the hallmarks of a Crowded House concert has always been the banter – and the quintet did not disappoint. Reminiscing about Christchurch visits past, which included a famous free concert in Hagley Park to ten times this crowd, Neil reminded Elroy of the time he took him on the
hydroslide, aged around four, only to lose him halfway down – an incident that resulted in a lot of screaming and another attempt that ended the same way.
Liam recounted his one less-than-successful stop in the city at age 16, when he and the members of his band Betchadupa attempted to get breakfast on the Sunday morning following a Saturday night gig. “We tried four places – and they all turned us away, because it was Mother’s Day, and we didn’t look like we had a Mum with us.”
“I’ve never heard that story,” his surprised Dad said. “That was a time when I was keeping a lot from you,” came the swift response.
We also got to learn how a young Liam helped write the surreal lyrics for 1993 song Pineapple Head, uttered while delirious with a fever. “The publishing rights issue still has to be sorted,” Neil joked.
But among the laughter and hearty sing-a-longs, there were also plenty of poignant moments. Don’t Dream It’s Over was dedicated to recently deceased Australian music industry legend Michael Gudinski, before Neil got the crowd on their feet, a place where they stayed for the last 40 minutes of the show, by introducing Something So Strong as a “song for Christchurch”.
A smattering of new music off the upcoming album To The Island was greeted with an equally warm reception – the eponymous single and Playing With Fire (where they were joined by impressive evening opener Reb Fountain and her band) the highlights – while there were also covers of The Chicks’ Silent House (co-written by Neil) and a David Bowie classic, an encore that brought the house down and provided a fitting end to a magical, cathartic night.
This new iteration of Crowded House might have to wait a while to realise their “big plans” (“we’ve got to get the rest of the world working first,” Neil
admitted), but, to this mainland audience, they were truly “heroes, just for one day”.
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To Do:
Name the band. Crowded house
List 5 of the performers (use capital letters correctly)
Where was this gig held? Garden city
What made it ‘the biggest gig in the world right now?’
Name the NZ city where this band was supposed to perform first.
What is a ‘near-packed venue?’
List 5 of the songs performed (use capital letters correctly)
What instrument did Elroy play?
Which instrument did Liam play?
Name the country Nick Seymour is from.
Name the band Liam Finn had when he was 16.
Why was Liam Finn and his band mates turned away from 4 eating places in Christchurch when all they wanted was breakfast? He did not have his mother
Who was the song, “Don’t Dream it’s Over’ dedicated to during the performance?
Explain this statement: ‘It was an encore that brought the house down and provided a fitting end to a magical, cathartic night.the crowd thought crowded house was amazing and keep clapping and stamping and creating them to sing more
Copy and paste an image of each of the following:
i)The CROWDED HOUSE BAND
ii) Neil Finn
iii) Liam Finn
iv) Elroy Finn
v) the Christchurch Arena
