Crowded House is set to kick off their North American tour in support of their latest album, Gravity Stairs, and frontman Neil Finn says he’s looking forward to playing in front of American audiences again.
“American audiences seem to be quite open to whatever experiences we throw at them,” Neil tells ABC Audio. “They give you a lot of freedom. And they also come along … deciding they’re gonna have a good time.”
He adds, “There can be other places where people are … a little bit standoffish and say, ‘Come on, impress me.’ That doesn’t mean to say Americans are easily impressed.”
With a new album of songs to fit in alongside their hits, Neil admits “it’s getting harder” to come up with a set that will please everyone.
“There’s certain songs that we feel compelled and enjoy playing every night that are the touchstones for people, but not every one necessarily needs to be in the set,” he says. “We want to keep it interesting for ourselves.”
Of course, hits like “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and other classics will be played, and Neil can’t wait to hear the audiences singing along to them.
“It’s the best feeling ever, really,” Neil says. “And the amazing thing is that they seem to be in tune collectively. They seem to cancel out all the tone deaf people, and that’s amazing. And they sing harmonies, so it’s wonderful.”
Neil’s son Elroy Finn, who plays drums in the band, jokes that the fact their fans sound so good singing their songs must mean “the majority of people can hold a note.” Neil agrees, sharing, “We have a very tuneful audience.”
Crowded House’s tour kicks off Thursday in St. Augustine, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at crowdedhouse.com.
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