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Crowded House @ The Troubadour, 7/17/07
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Tuesday's Crowded House show was, well, just that. I’ve never seen so many people squeeze into the Troubadour, and concert organizers even opened the doors of the Loft (their VIP lounge) in an effort to fit everyone.
The crush of people was worth it, though, and thankfully, it wasn’t too hot. The Crowded House guys put on an energetic show that was a mix of their well-known stuff peppered with songs from their new album, Time on Earth. Though the band had just reunited, it didn’t sound like it, and new drummer Matt Sherrod—perhaps best known for his work with Beck—fit right in with the rest of the group.
The ticket situation for the event was very interesting. Those who were lucky enough to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster were instructed that they could only buy a maximum of two tickets, and that the tickets could not be transferred to anyone else. No exceptions. This was the most stringent effort to prevent ticket scalping I’ve ever seen at an LA venue. But someone forgot to tell some of the scalpers. A number of them approached me asking if I had any extra tickets, and I had to let them know that there were no hard tickets. It was all about being on “the list.”
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Click the link below for a bunch of photos, the VIP room shower, the setlist and a Flight of the Conchords sighting.
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Once I entered the Troubadour, I decided to check out the VIP lounge since I had half an hour to kill before the show started. It was even warmer than downstairs, and it had plush couches and a view of the marquee and street below. The nicest feature for most people was the fact that the Loft has its own bathroom, which is much nicer than the one downstairs. I took a peek and noticed that it even has a shower, but upon further investigation, saw that it’s not one anyone would want to use. (It’s probably nasty due to disuse.)
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The next thing I needed to do was find a place to stand or sit, but it was so packed that I wasn’t sure I had many options. At first, someone offered me a seat on the arm of their chair, but after 10 minutes, that wasn’t too comfortable. Then some kind people said I could join them sitting/teetering on the top of the seats in the back row. I joined them right as the show was starting.
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Unfortunately, being so far back, I wasn’t able to catch most of the banter. At one point, lead singer Neil Finn led the crowd in a rendition of “Those Were the Days,” and I have no idea why. (It was fun, though.) On another occasion, after a fantastic version of “Recurring Dream,” I did hear Finn said something like, “That’s the first time we played it almost right in 16 years!”
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Around that time, I decided to sit on the stairs near the bar, because my butt was falling asleep and I didn’t want to risk falling off the second level. At that point, I didn’t feel so bad about not having a good seat, because standing a few yards in front of me were Largo owner Mark Flanagan and the Flight of the Conchords. Even if I didn’t have a good spot, at least I was in great company.
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About an hour and a half into the show, a very excited Australian girl bounced up the stairs and sat next to me. She whispered, “I’ve just flown in from Australia. My name wasn’t on the list but I begged them for two hours to let me in and they just did!” I’m not certain whether she flew out just to see the band, but I’m glad she finally got in nonetheless.
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All in all, Crowded House put on an amazing show, and it was apparent the audience could have stayed all night. The group treated the crowd to two encores, and ended with “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” Then, unfortunately, the experience was.
Crowded House will return to Los Angeles when they play the Greek Theatre on Aug. 28. Tickets are on sale now.
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Setlist for the Troubadour Show
Locked Out
World Where You Live
Heaven That I’m Making
Those Were the Days (with the audience)
Nobody Wants To
Recurring Dream
Fall at Your Feet
Don’t Stop Now
Pour Le Monde
Four Seasons
You’re The One to Make Me Cry
When You Come
Silent House
Distant Sun
Something So Strong
Encore 1
Pineapple Head
She Called Up
Weather With You
Encore 2
Fingers of Love
Throw Your Arms Around Me
Don’t Dream It’s Over
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