a couple of things. firstly dolt - just because mark's quiet,it doesn't mean he hasn't got stage presence - for me he's got loads - so did george harrison.

i also don't think neil will be losing any sleep over the fact that he could be perceived as "uncool" for saying that his son was part of the band.surely people will not base any decision on how cool a band are because a father and son are in the line up of the band - then again,this is" rage against musical talent" fans we're talking about.

also was john walsh playing as well as liam - and what happened to tim - thought he was meant to be there.maybe he saw who was on after the crowdies and changed his mind.

I've never understood the desire for people to "bottle" acts on stage - if you don't like them, don't watch - or at least respect that they might also have fans too in the audience and if you're chanting and destroying the atmosphere, it's unfair on the same people who have paid to see them - irrespective of whether you like the band on stage or not.

I hope they do archive the whole set on that website, it would be good see, as, I think like a lot of the other Brits around here, I needed my beauty sleep.

However, it sounds to me like they held so much grace despite the bad crowd, and that makes me proud. And like FSM says, I think the Peter Gabriel fans might be a little less into bottling... although I'm not sure the type of people who do throw things like that do it personally - I think they would do it for whoever was "making them wait" for "their band".

And the youtube clip someone provided was brilliant! Thanks! Some other good ones there from the same person.

quote:

Originally posted by Flower Singing Man:
I can't see Peter Gabriel fans bottling Neil really - they are too old for such tomfoolery!

Hey, watch it! Some of us here are PG fans too ya know

quote:

In fact I think we should throw Neil soft toys of something.

That's already been done! Clangers in Sheffield way back in 2001... Ya had to be there! (Actually, they weren't thrown, they were lovingly placed by his amp...

One flipp'n bottle and all this..if that's the worse they ever cop, then so be it .
For all we know it could've been a fan of Paulo's who took exception to the lads resurecting the band.
CH is Paul Hester, NF & NS. The new chap, as great a drummer and person as he surely is, will never fit the picture..and Mark (as cool as he is) doesn't have the language skills to entice the fans or audience ie; deadpan.
Wonder if Sweep still plays drums, or guitar for that matter?
Studio band-YES, world touring band-NO.

quote:

Originally posted by Mishima:
One flipp'n bottle and all this..if that's the worse they ever cop, then so be it .
For all we know it could've been a fan of Paulo's who took exception to the lads resurecting the band.

.

We all know it's not the bottle that stings. It's that someone out there felt the need to say to the band "You are crap". When you're working hard on stage to entertain- I don't care who you are that just sucks.

quote:

CH is Paul Hester, NF & NS. The new chap, as great a drummer and person as he surely is, will never fit the picture..and Mark (as cool as he is) doesn't have the language skills to entice the fans or audience ie; deadpan.

CH is Paul, Nick and Neil? So Together Alone and Woodface are out then? (not to mentiom Time On Earth)

quote:

Originally posted by Mishima:
For all we know it could've been a fan of Paulo's who took exception to the lads resurecting the band.
CH is Paul Hester, NF & NS. The new chap, as great a drummer and person as he surely is, will never fit the picture..and Mark (as cool as he is) doesn't have the language skills to entice the fans or audience ie; deadpan.
Wonder if Sweep still plays drums, or guitar for that matter?
Studio band-YES, world touring band-NO.

Mishima,

I respectfully disagree.

I love Paul Hester, but Matt Sherrod has skills that he adds to this band, as well. His heavier presence has been a welcome addition, and I think CH has has sounded excellent/rejuvenated from the several recent shows from which I've seen or heard clips.

If you're saying that Matt doesn't fit the picture in terms of his stage banter, I'd agree in that his on-stage personality seems to be quite different than Paul's, but his drumming skills certainly can't be called into question.

Also, I find it highly unlikely that a fan of Paul's was responsible for the bottle-throwing incident.

Mishma,

I disagree sorry. Crowded House are a world class touring band - in fact you could argue that they are better live band than a recording band.

I really doubt anyone threw a bottle because they don't like Matt. They threw it becuase they are Rage fans waiting for Rage.

Matt will fit in fine. He's such a nice guy, very down to earth, and his drumming, though very different from Paul's, really fits the heavier numbers and has been remarkably error-free. He'll join in more when he finds his place in the repartee. Mark actually said stuff and "starred" in a bit of schtick at Pomona and it was evident he was having a lot of fun, and even was smiling at Coachella, bless him.

My first reaction to the "bottle incident" was not here, not in the States. Which is odd for me because I am not patriotic. My next reaction was to kick something, fortunately there were no living objects close by or even awake. As peaceful as I believe I am, my guys were being crapped on and I felt very defensive about the less than widespread popularity of the group in the US. I acted violently and even if my hamstring was the only thing hurt (tweaked) by it, I was not too proud of my actions. I hope the bottle throwing idiot was removed from the Coachella grounds, but I do hope that security showed restraint.

Now I am completely and utterly impressed by Neil's reaction, Nick's comments, and the rest of the band's ability to rise above it. I wish I would have reacted as well as they did. I agree with many that stated that the set list could have tilted towards the rockier side of CH for a festival setting. Yet listening to the new songs on the webcast on St. Paddy's evening, I couldn't help but think of Paul. Last night it was the new songs that had great weight and emotional substance that seemed to lift the group's performance ... just like Paul could do on any given night.

Just wanted to say what I enjoyed most was Neil taking lead guitar role more than usual. He is an amazing guitarist and I hope he continues to play more electric guitar + solos on tour. Also, really liked the harder edge they took on older songs...

After telling my brother all about this he said one thing

"You have to remember it only takes one drunk jerk"

That is the truth.

It saddens me that CH don't have the respect they deserve in the history of pop music in the United States but oh well.

We love them, right?

Lorrie

Mishima, come on now. I highly doubt there was someone in the audience standing there thinking "You know, Matt will never be Hessie and I take exception to this reformation. Let me throw this bottle in protest." Boloney.

It was some drunken, teenage twit who has no idea what it means to respect a performer, whether you like them or not. I've seen my share of absolute crap opening acts in my time, and NEVER have I once showed disrespect. It all comes down to CH being at a festival that they were out of place in, lumped in amongst a ton of young, alternative acts, which frankly was NOT the best venue for them. It doesn't surprise me that this happened. Pisses me off, yes as their obscurity here ALWAYS has, but surprises me...no.

Glad to hear the bottle didn't hit Neil, but only his mic, as when it happened, it sure looked like it clipped him as well.

Sadly, I think the treatment by the Coachella crowd wasn't that unexpected....(Disappointing as it was.)

When I first heard they were to play Coachella...I knew there was really no chance that my middle-aged behind would be out sitting in a field for three days to see them. It's a show built for for kids...and honestly, kids really don't know much about a band that broke up when they were pre-teens.

I did my time years ago sitting in more than a few fields in the 70's to see bands like Aerosmith, Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ELO and Santana...So, I'm not unfamiliar with festivals.

Heck, I saw a very surly Rolling Stones crowd once shell Prince off the stage when he tried to open their 1982 show (George Througood, J. Geils...and Prince?). Bill Graham had the best intentions in booking him, but it was the wrong crowd and a bad fit. Just like CH is really a bad fit with Rage anbd their fans...and everyone could guess that Rage fans would have the main stage staked out early and be waiting.

I think CH would have done better on a different day, or in a different slot...IMHO they fit better with Travis, the Decemberists and others on the Saturday bill.

I'm just even more glad that I got to go on Friday night.

From the San Jose Mercury News:

Coachella, Day III
By Shay Quillen
Monday, April 30th, 2007 at 10:20 am in Music, Shay Quillen, General, Coachella.

Thousands of Rage Against the Machine fans this weekend wore T-shirts reading “The Battle of Coachella.” On Sunday, the Battle of Coachella was held, and Crowded House lost. Three hours before Rage Against the Machine’s first show in seven years, Crowded House attempted to play its first big show in more than 10. But if there’s a band less suited for a jacked-up, humorless Rage audience than sensitive, good-humored Crowded House, I’d hate to see it. Small bands of drunken Kiwis, sweet American women and the occasional power-pop geek made their way to the front, then huddled together for safety among the hordes wearing “Drive out the Bush regime” bandannas. During the band’s third song, the timeless “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” a well-aimed full water bottle knocked lead singer Neil Finn’s microphone off its stand. Finn tried to get the audience to take over the vocals, but these folks came to scream “F— you, I won’t do what you tell me,” not croon “Hey now, hey now.”

For the record, the new lineup sounded just fine. It took two men to replace founding drummer Paul Hester, who hanged himself in 2005. Former Beck sideman Matt Sherrod manned the traps, bringing a somewhat more aggressive approach to tunes like “Private Universe.” And Finn’s oldest son, Liam, sang Hester’s harmony parts while strumming an acoustic guitar, looking like Eddie Vedder at his scruffiest.

The 10-song set included two new ones: “Don’t Stop Now,” written by Finn and Johnny Marr, and “Silent House,” a Finn co-write that already surfaced on the Dixie Chicks’ last album but here called up memories of Hester. “I will try to connect / All the pieces you left / I’ll remember the years / When your mind was still clear” sang Finn, bassist Nick Seymour and utility man Mark Hart.

The band’s attempts to joke around and start singalongs — staples of the Crowded House experience — fell flat, so the band just soldiered on, keeping an eye out for the bottles of water that flew continually. It sure wasn’t the reunion show this band deserved. I can’t wait to see them in front of a friendly audience this summer.

Anyway, here was the set list: When You Come / World Where You Live / Don’t Dream It’s Over / Don’t Stop Now / Fall at Your Feet / Silent House / Private Universe / Locked Out / Something So Strong / Better Be Home Soon.

(there's more at:http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2007/04/coachella_day_iii.html)

TheBigJT, I actually thought that behavior was somewhat unusual. I've been to Coachella a couple of times & my friends go almost every year & there were never any complaints about the crowd (and one of my friends nitpicks audiences for the most inconsequential things).

It might be since Coachella is getting more popular they are getting more jerks to buy tickets, or it might be specific to certain stupid Rage fans (not all of them, of course). Indie/hipster kids are generally not like that, especially in Southern California where audiences are known for their often feigned lack of (positive or negative) enthusiasm . But whatever, what's done is done...Now I just want an idiot-free show to wipe that bad taste out of my mouth!

I thought Tim was supposed to have appeared with the Crowdies at Coachella?

I missed the webcast last night because my internet server was down but it just occured to me that no one has mentioned Tim. (sorry if this was covered earlier in the thread)

I was shocked to learn about "the Coachella Incident" this morning and proud of the way the band soldiered on--the true mark of a professional.

Wonder how enthusiastic they'll be to sign up for a berth @ Coachella next year?

Gutted....Woke up mega early this morning, got myself a cup of tea, put on the computer and found out I had calculated the time wrong!! Sounds like agreat show, dispite the Rage fans. Did any one manage to capture the show for d/load?

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Sounded like it was a really horrid situation.
I think though, that we ought to note that John Walsh pointed out that the band won the audience in the end and had them singing. This conclusion must have been sounded at the post gig chill with the band and therefore if they felt it went great, then it went great.

The Stoat

TheStoat, I was going to post that I got the feeling that there was actual attention being paid by the time "Better Be Home Soon" came up. Did anyone else notice the silence? I think people were stopping their idiot-rage for a second and letting themselves listen. I got the feeling that a few of them, at least, had the intelligence to recognize genius when it was in their faces. Not everyone can, but that means nothing about the quality of the genius. Look at what happened to Joshua Bell in the Metro Subway in January.

And re the "Battle of Coachella" -- was it truly a battle between CH and RATM? I just can't believe that Tom Morello would be such a jackass. But things are done in bands' names that the bands can't control, as we all know...

OK, so the "Gabriel fans are too old..." comment hurt a bit. Just a little. 38...old...hmmm

Now, what was I saying again? Oh....

A fan of both, I can also reassure you that PG promotes good behavior. The last time I saw Crowded House was WOMAD in Golden Gate Park, a bill that included three of my favorites: CH, PG and James. In the middle of PG's set, some people in the packed Golden Gate Park audience started pushing and causing trouble. PG stopped *mid-song* to reprimand and tell people it wasn't the way to behave. First and last time I've ever seen that happen.

The Hyde Park show sounds like a much better matching of bands (i.e., audience demographics). Wish I could skip across the Pond for that one...