You could have smacked me with a 2x4 after I read this morning that one of my favorite bands of the late 80s and early 90s, Australia's Crowded House, has reunited, is recruiting a new drummer (to replace the wonderful Paul Hester, who tragically committed suicide 2 years ago), and will mount a world tour in 2007. An April 29 date at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California is already confirmed, and presumably a slate of shows across the U.S. will follow. Neil Finn, who for a decade powered the band with his sublimely crafted pop songwriting and elegant voice, has enjoyed a fair amount of solo success since they disbanded in 1996 -- not to mention living on an estate in New Zealand and collecting royalties on "Don't Dream It's Over", "Something So Strong", "Better Be Home Soon", "Weather with You" and all of those other amazing tunes -- and has insisted ever since that a Crowded House reunion would simply never, ever happen. Ironically, it seems that it was Hester's untimely death that rattled his resolve and forced him to re-think the issue. And then change his mind. Un-freakin'-believable. I hope we an Atlanta date soon.(And I guess Farewell To The World, the recording of Crowded House's "final" show at the Sydney Opera House in November of 1996 that was released only a week ago, was titled a bit prematurely.)
BONUS: "Into Temptation," my favorite song from my favorite Crowded House record, 1988's Temple of Low Men.
