Split Enz Reunion Issue 48
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FEATURE Reunion tours can often be about ‘no shame’, ‘no money’ or both… thankfully, not this one. The recent Split Enz tour became more than a reunion of musos, but engineers and techs as well. Text: Mark O’Connor HISTORY REPEATS SPLIT ENZ LIVE IN 2006 AT 40 News that yet another ’70s or ’80s band has done Crowded House whenever they played reformed to hit the road again may, depending NZ, and I actually did a Canadian/American on the band, be greeted with anything from high tour with them in 1989. But being one of anticipation, through yawning indifference, to a the principals of this company I wasn’t really collective groan of dismay from the music-loving interested in spending a lot of time sashaying public. The worst case scenario might see one around the world touring with musicians or two surviving members lumbering onstage, – much as I would have liked to. But I always backed by some musically competent but, for the worked with them when they came to NZ.” most part, uncharismatic ring-ins, to re-inflate And Paul is also himself a musician (one time the repertoire with lacklustre renditions of songs member of notorious New Zealand band that haven’t really stood the test of time – the Schtung – “sort of arty farty crossover electrical whole enterprise sadly lacking any authenticity, pop”), a skill that found him juggling additional bereft of even a spark of what it was that made onstage duties. that band so vital and original in its day. “In 1996 I toured with Neil and Tim for the first Best-case scenario? Split Enz’s recent History Finn brothers album in NZ and Australia, and Repeats tour! A seven-date June dash round also played piano onstage for a few songs. Then Australia’s capital cities that leaves entertainment when Neil did the Seven Worlds Collide project centres reverberating with the sound of sellout in 2001 [a series of concerts at St James Theatre crowds singing along to a repertoire of hits that in Auckland for which Neil assembled a band just keeps coming, performed with a gusto and of friends that included Eddie Vedder, Johnny vitality and musicianship that make the 20-odd Marr, Lisa Germano, Sebastian Steinberg, Ed years since the band’s last tour seem as nothing. O’Brien and Phil Selway from Radiohead, and When the Enz hit the stage at Sydney’s brother Tim], I ended up playing keyboards on Entertainment Centre to the manic intensity stage as well on quite a few of those songs. It of Shark Attack, the frenzied opener from their was quite a lot of fun actually. That tour went smash 1979 album True Colours, it’s with the all over the place, not with that lineup but with classic True Colours line-up of Tim and Neil various incarnations, picking people up along Finn, Eddie Rayner, Noel Crombie, Nigel the way – Johnny Marr just happened to be in Griggs, and Malcolm Green. What’s more, they LA, Eddie Vedder came and played, Wendy turn in a show that delivers a knockout punch Melvoin joined us. It was great fun! We were to most of the bling-merchants, imposters and playing club shows in America and we often pretenders that clog today’s charts. Indeed, I had appalling equipment. I was doing monitors find myself running a mental home movie of as well as some playing onstage. There was one a vividly remembered Split Enz concert from place we played in Portland where I was up in a Brisbane’s Cloudland Ballroom, circa 1981, sort of eagle’s nest, like a bunkhouse, and I had where this very same lineup whipped a heaving to climb down a ladder to come and play and capacity crowd into a frenzy. then climb back up the ladder to the mixing Tonight it’s as though nothing has changed. console. And a similar situation in Boston which There’s that same (albeit slightly toned down) involved walking down a long corridor and then theatricality of presentation. Same sartorial climbing up a ladder… So they were fantastic eloquence courtesy of percussionist/drummer tours, especially for me to be playing as well as and style guru Noel Crombie (also responsible mixing. The crews at the festivals were always for the giant backdrop behind the stage). Same very impressed that the monitor guy would rush unmistakable Finn brothers vocals wrapped out and play. Neil would often finish off the around mostly timeless songs. Eddie Rayner’s show with Don’t Dream It’s Over just on acoustic shimmering keyboard arpeggios and quirky, guitar and I’d come out and play the organ solo, cartoon flourishes that sound like someone quite a nice intimate musical moment. So that’s dropped a box of marbles down the stairs. my claim to fame. It just so happens that some of the crew on the “So when they put the Split Enz tour together tour are veterans of that original Enz era too, for Australia it was kind of fitting that we tried and so I wonder whether those same behind-the- to get as many of the ‘old farts’ together for the scenes ingredients make for a similar sense of crew as we could. All of us have worked on déjà vu backstage. I eventually locate just such a many projects with the Finns over the years perspective from monitor engineer Paul Jeffrey. – Crowded House, the Finn Bros. I had also mixed the very first Enz concerts. Giles, the PAUL JEFFERY – MONITOR ENGINEER FOH engineer has done a lot of work with Neil Paul Jeffery is a Split Enz alumnus of long and Tim in the Finn Bros for the last couple of standing, having first worked with the band years. So it was very nice that we could all do this. Of all the people there, I would have gone Pleased to be here! – Giles Woodhead (pictured top) mightn’t in 1982. “I actually started doing monitors for have quite the same history with the Enz as some of the crew them around the time they did Waiata, which in back the longest. but the vibe from the Enz ‘family’ was clearly infectious. Above: Australia was called Corroboree.” Paul’s talents Three decades in a leaky boat! – The multi-talented Paul Jeffery MO’C: So how was it to step back into that came on board in 1982 and is pictured here in front of his Yamaha extend beyond the monitor console: for a start he world after what must be almost 20 years since PM5D (driving monitors). Paul’s also a talented musician in his also happens to be one of the founding principals own right and has often been seen tinkling ivories in preference the last Split Enz gig? to pushing faders. of Oceania, New Zealand’s largest concert sound and lighting hire company, which supplied PJ: Twenty-two years actually, save for a couple production for the Enz in NZ and Australia of brief reunions in New Zealand. Look, we up until their 1984 demise – and to the band’s had three days of rehearsal in Melbourne and various offshoots thereafter. “Oceania has always it was kind of like nothing had changed. I AT 41 “ it was kind of fitting that we tried to get as many of the ‘old farts’ together for the crew as we could” ���� mean, they’d obviously boned up on all the old concert dates and three rehearsal days, that’s not MARCUS BENNET – KEYBOARD & BASS TECH recordings and spent a lot of time revisiting all long, is it, to pull everything together? those songs, and bits and pieces of keyboard Marc’s association with the Finns began with a tour for PJ: It’s a real testimony to the fact that they Tim’s Before & After album in 1993, then later in ’96 he sounds. But as they first played through each actually are splendid musicians. Very competent. started working with Neil on the Try Whistling This tour. song together they were almost at a concert “I’ve been involved in most things they’ve done since then Eddie’s keyboard playing has always been quite in one way or another. A lot of old Crowded House and performance level. With the second play through staggeringly good. He seems to effortlessly waltz they perfected them a bit and tidied up all the Split Enz people have all come together for this Split Enz through very complicated things. reunion. Our production manager Dougall McAndrew was loose ends, remembered guitar solos etc. Third involved with Crowded House for many years.” MO’C: He strikes me as something of a human play they ran the risk of getting a bit bored by His gig on the tour was looking after the keyboard and it all, and started jamming and improvising. It arpeggiator, with such a remarkable degree of bass setups for Nigel and Eddie, but he fills me in on was quite amazing. All the way through the virtuosity while at the same time so quirky. I various aspects of the stage setup… tour soundchecks became more of a walk down often used to wonder when listening to Enz Marc: The Finn brothers are notorious for being very memory lane, as they dug out songs that had material whether a lot of the keyboards I was selective when it comes to the type of piano they’ll use. hearing were sequenced. On this tour we used a fantastic-sounding electronic never been recorded – a lot of them had actually grand, the Yamaha Clavinova CVP309GP.