i saw crowded house at coachella in... 2006? it was their first show in the US in some number of years, they may have come out of retirement or something. anyhoo, it was a big deal that they were on the bill and were given the penultimate slot of the night, right before the headliner. now normally that would be an honor, but unfortunately that night the headliner was RATM - their first show since the breakup. in case you're wondering, the crossover between Rage and CH was maybe 12 people out of tens of thousands... and those thousands were amped for "killing in the name of", they had zero time for "don't dream it's over" and the like. neil came out all smiles and happy to be there and that attitude lasted about 2 songs. the crowd was awful to him and the band. neil tried to win over the crowd at first but it was useless. i'll never forget the look of utter confusion, incredulity and disappointment on neil's face. he came out thinking "this is going to be the best gig of my life", "this is the start of our comeback", "this is what i've missed all these years" - only to be met by a horde of savages yelling at them to get off the stage (as if that would make RATM show up any earlier than their scheduled start time). at the end of their set the band limped off stage, neil stayed behind for an extra 20-30 seconds, just starring at the crowd, soaking it in, dumbfounded, trying to process what has just happened... he was seriously questioning his life choices at that moment. i remember being angry at whatever organizer decided on that night's lineup.
