Sit back for a moment from your computer screen and think about what each of the four seasons mean to you. What goes through your mind when you think about Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer?

Collectively, they remind me of the past. Fall brings back memories of the beginning of school…the nascence of learning and the hope of what might transpire throughout the year. Winter…especially winter in Minnesota…has always had a harsh certainty to it as well as a warm comfort imagining a roaring fire and a companion with whom to share it. Spring is a rebirth…a coming out party coupled with a return to nature. Summer is lazy days spent on the tennis court and at the pool with the smell of suntan lotion and the Dr. No vision of a woman in a bikini.

Combine this feeling with music that you heard in each of these different seasons and it’s quite intoxicating. The songs and the seasons past become all mixed up in a haze. Hearing a song reminds you of that season and being in that season reminds of that song and a season long ago. Or a band.

This would be why I have loved Crowded House for the last 24 years. Like U2, they are a my generation band who helped to define my lifespan development.

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing them last Saturday night in the final installment of the Minnesota Zoo Concert Series. The zoo is really a great place to see a show. Los Lobos plays there practically every year. It’s intimate, the sound is great, and the Roman ampitheater style seating creates a great ambiance.

I missed the lads when they came around on the their last tour in support of their comeback album Time on Earth. I liked that record but not nearly as much as their new effort, Intriguer. So, even though I was bummed that I missed them three years ago, I knew I had to make this one. It had been 17 years since I had seen them last – not including the various Neil Finn shows I have seen since that time.

They took the stage at around 8:30pm and played for over two hours. Their 21 song set was comprised of songs from all six of their records. Neil looked quite dapper in his suit and, as usual, charmed the heck out of the crowd. One thing to always remember about Crowded House shows…or Neil Finn shows for that matter…they are hilarious! The in between song banter is reminiscent of Monty Python and  makes for howls of laughter at various points in the set. Neil and Nick were wondering, at one point, if the fake, lighted geese (being that we were at a zoo) at the foot of the stage were going to explode in a pyrotechnic display. They kept coming back to the geese and making cracks throughout the night which was very, very funny.

They played four songs from their first album (“Mean To Me”, “World Where You Live”, “Something So Strong”, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”). That album came out in the spring of 1986 – my freshmen year at college. I remember listening to it (with the brother of our host here at Ickmusic) the week it came out. We were both Split Enz fans and couldn’t believe how great it was. We played it constantly at all the end of  year parties. The girls went crazy for it, swooning over Neil and Nick – it was fantastic. That first record was the soundtrack to our summer that year and, 24 years later, the songs sound just as amazing. My mind was leaping back to all those great memories.

They only played two songs from Temple of Low Men (“When You Come” and “Better Be Home Soon”, which was the show closer). Even though this album came out in the summer, I didn’t really get into it until the winter. It happens that way sometimes. The album had a darker tone and it fit perfectly with a terribly harsh winter in 1988-89. “When You Come” is such a reflective song and Neil really nailed it.

From Woodface, we had “Fall at Your Feet” (shivers – always shivers…so perfect in so many ways), “Chocolate Cake” (perfect in an election year), “It’s Only Natural” (the set proper closer) and “Weather With You”, which was played during the encore with much hilarity, dancing and debauchery…as it always is. But the real gem (and my favorite song of the night) was “Four Seasons in One Day”. Neil prompted us to sing the last chorus over and over again as he got quieter and quieter and the sound of our collective chanting…

Blood dries up…like rain…like rain…fills my cup…like Four Seasons in One Day

was hypnotic…primal…perfect for all the animals at the zoo….chilling and crush my heart beautiful.

The evening saw many offerings from Together Alone. “Private Universe” opened up the night. “In My Command” rocked. “Locked Out” rocked even harder. This was one of my perfect fall albums. Not as much of a solid autumnal hall of famer (that would be U2′s Unforgettable Fire) but certainly in the top 5. All the songs have a mystical quality to them that is undeniably transporting. I mentally drifted at several points when they did these songs. It was fantastic.

From Time On Earth, we heard “Don’t Stop Now” and “Heaven That I’m Making”. A spring feeling to be sure and Neil’s piano playing was a treat. I realized as I listened to “Heaven That I’m Making” that I need to give this record some more spins.

The Intriguer songs (“Saturday Sun”, “Either Side of the World”, “Archer’s Arrows”, “Isolation”) were amazing. During “Isolation”, Neil’s wife Sharon offered a haunting vocal that reminded me of all the seasons and many memories from each which solidified the idea that the massive goodness of Crowded House is that they truly are four seasons in one band. Truly, the entire evening was magic…as it always is with this wonderful band of my lifespan.

What does each season mean to you? Throw on a Crowded House disc and perhaps they can help to color your answer.

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Buy Intriguer: 

Visit Crowded House’s Official Site.