The Finn Brothers
Stubb’s, Aug. 4 An institution in their home New Zealand, Tim and Neil Finn have more than enough concert material between them given the bands they’ve fronted over the course of 20-plus years of making music. Their current tour, which ended with this Austin date, previewed songs from their upcoming release, Everyone Is Here, their first album of new songs together in nearly a decade. While playing songs few have heard before is never an optimal approach, that didn’t prevent the decidedly older, female-leaning ample Stubb’s audience from screaming with delight at almost everything they presented. Not surprisingly, it was the older tunes from the Finns’ earlier incarnations as Crowded House and Split Enz that proffered the most energy. Some of the newer material struck high points, especially toward the beginning of the set with the moody “Homesick” and lush, dreamy “Won’t Give In,” but despite Neil’s guitar histrionics and some goofy between-song patter, the Finns were stuck in down-tempo far too much of the 90-minute performance. The results had more in common with sleepy singer-songwriter fare, even when they took a couple of tunes from a slow boil to loud jams. The combination of new songs and some of Tim’s lesser-known work led to restless moments among the gathered faithful. Still, the Finns pulled things together with some of their better known songs before calling it a night. A slight rearrangement of Crowded House’s “Better Be Home Soon” was greeted with sing-along glee during the first encore, while the second boasted a double dose of Split Enz. The punky “I See Red” and a surprisingly cogent “I Got You” brought on nostalgia and sent everyone home with a smile on their face.This article appears in August 13 • 2004.