FINN RISES AGAIN (reviewer - Nui Te Koha)

Neil Finn immediately welcomed any crowd input because, as he happily pointed
out, this was his first solo gig since splitting up the enormously successful
Crowded House late last year.

The support though, for one of the most gifted writers, was almost gauranteed.
Out bush, in the remote seaside town of Te Araroa, an eight or nine hour drive
from either Auckland or Wellington, finn and a crowd of about 4000 were, to
flog that Crowded House album title once more, together alone.

It was a solitude that bordered on the special and surreal. Here was Finn,
cranking up at 11.30pm in the middle of nowhere, playing to a paddock soaked
and bogged by daylong torrential rain, giving a performance and song list
Crowdies and Enz fans would kill for.

Many may argue about the relevance of this review - why a one-off benefit
concert (for the rebuilding of Hinerupe, a Maori meeting house at Te Araroa) on
the other side of the Tasman warrants an assessment.

Consider it an update on a local pop genius: that some of his best work, as
hinted by new material aired on Saturday night, is yet to come.  Finn was in
devastating form, reaching into his sack of hits and delivering most of it raw
and acoustic.

Staged in a setting of bush, cliff faces, waterfalls and a full moon reflected
on the Pacific, Private Universe was the logical opener, and Finn used it.
Only Talking Sense, from the Finn album he recorded with brother Tim, still
talks volunes about how underrated thet LP is.

Finn stayed close to the pop and melodics of the Woodface album, with Four
Seasons in One Day bringing wry smiles to dampened punters, and Weather With
You performed as a duet with Dave Dobbyn.

A new song, as yet untitled, embodies the promise of Finn's almost
completed solo album. Tidal and darkly romantic, it travels the same
wind-swept road as the best
moments from Together Alone.

"Look up, behind you," Finn said.  "There has to be years and years of good
luck in that full moon."  And as the crowd stared at the sky, he slid warmly
into Don't Drean it's Over.  Perfect.

On the other side of midnight, Finn dragged out his 14-year-old son Liam on
drums, and a bass player, and knocked up a forceful version of Locked Out and
the Split Enz classic I Got You.

He closed with another Crowded house favourite - not a song, but the act of
dragging an audience member up on stage for a duet.  The duet, quite
inappropriately, was Better Be Home soon.  Innappropriate, only because Finn
was back on stage at 3.30am to help out Dave Dobbyn.

Support acts included soul singer Annie Crummer, the sublime vocalist Emma
Paki, classical guitarist Dean Walker, and the world class hip hop act DLT.
A good cause, a great night and, more importantly, an assurance that the future
of quality pop is still in the hands of a master.