It was like Taylor Swift for adults.

You know how you go to Taylor’s show and all the little girls sing along?  It was JUST LIKE THAT, only everyone in attendance had reached puberty.

A chill went up my spine as they started to play.  This was genuine music, Neil Finn in his skinny tie and jacket, taking his job seriously, wringing the notes out of his guitar as he emoted into the microphone.

It was truly shocking, how fucking great they were.

Oh, they did "Hole In The River".  And "Amsterdam".  And even "Message To My Girl"!  Hearing that made me feel completely whole, like there was nothing wrong with me, like it was fucking great to be alive and I’m gonna live forever, even though it’s fine if I die tonight.

There were illuminated plastic ducks and trolls on the edge of the stage.  The players stood atop rugs.  It was all homey without being quaint.  You see this was serious business, musicians working out.

They played for two hours and fifteen minutes.  I had no desire to check my phone, needed no e-mail connection or Twitter feed, because the music was so alive, so vibrant.

And so modern.

Usually, when you see the codgers, it’s nostalgia.  But Crowded House played most of the new album, and the act felt more alive than that of the twentysomethings performing to hard drive.  This is what it was like in the days before recordings, when you had to go to the show to get it.

And in the dressing room, Neil was like a guy you went to high school with.  Chipper, adrenalized since he’d just had a great show, but with no airs whatsoever.  He was normal.  But so upbeat, I had to ask him, did he ever get frustrated, ever get depressed?  He rolled his head back and laughed…it’s part of being creative, the despair creeps in and you’ve got to create to get out of the space.

He’s excited about playing.  Gonna record a bunch of stuff and release it right away, not worry about complete albums and release cycles.  Hell, on his next project, he’s playing the drums!

That’s the life of a musician.  He’s not doing the same thing every day, he’s constantly experimenting, constantly innovating, constantly taking chances, otherwise you die inside.

And the show rocked hard enough at times that James Hetfield could smile.

Then again, there were moments when it was just Neil and his keyboard, completely sweet.

But he loved to play.  He kept changing guitars, changing sounds, we were viewing a master at work.

And one final note…  I ended up telling him that I saw him at the Whisky…

He remembered the show!  But for different reasons than I. You see at the time Split Enz were co-managed by Tommy Mottola, and there was an altercation in the pit when their Down Under manager’s seats were usurped by Tommy’s guys. Spit was involved.

And at the end of the evening, Neil’s brother Tim went home with _________________.
Ah, remember the seventies, when you had to go to the show to get it?  When you felt being there, drinking up the sound, was the height of life?  THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS LIKE! It was alive, not dead.  No one was going through the motions. It was the essence.  It’s why I’m a believer.

And I thought love was only true in fairy tales…