Crowded House frontman Neil Finn talks to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking about the band hitting the road for a New Zealand tour in March. Audio / Newstalk ZB
As global chart-toppers Crowded House prepare for a New Zealand tour, it's emerged that frontman and hit-writer Neil Finn twice dodged death at earlier gigs.
The incidents are revealed in Stuart Coupe's book Roadies: The Secret History of Australian Rock'N'Roll, which features interviews with crew members who've worked with theworld's biggest bands.
In a chapter about Shane Scully, the veteran roadie recalls how he "almost became known as the lighting guy who killed Crowded House – or at least Neil Finn".
It details a horrifying incident at the Jet Club, in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast, when Finn dodged death after a heavy lighting rig almost squashed him mid-gig.
According to the book, Scully - Crowded House's senior roadie - "said to someone next to him that something didn't look right. But he couldn't work out what it was.
"The next thing that happened was that the whole back truss fell, and the screen [on which images were projected] covered [drummer] Paul Hester. The [lighting rig] stopped less than a foot above Neil Finn's head."
Ties keeping the rig in place had been attached to a mezzanine floor above the stage.
During the incident, Scully recalled looking up to see several men running away. He believed they tripped over the tethers which came loose.
"The leads from the dimmers [devices used to control the intensity of the lighting] must have halted the fall, otherwise Finn would surely have been killed," writes Coupe. "The show was stopped and the crew pulled the truss back up and secured it before the performance resumed. But Scully remained in shock all night."
According to Coupe, Scully still "sweats at the thought of his involvement" in what could have been a tragedy.
Crowded House are set to return to New Zealand stages with a tour beginning in March, playing their greatest hits and new material. Photograph / Supplied
"The band knew how lucky they were," Scully told Coupe. "It scared the hell out of me, and that was when I started to think that I'd had enough, and that it was time to stop before I really did kill someone."
Tragedy did strike when Crowded House were touring with Kiwi legends Split Enz – who also featured Finn, his brother Tim Finn and Hester – and Aussie chart-toppers Boom Crash Opera.
Roadies were starting to set up at the Newcastle Workers Club on December 28, 1989, when the New South Wales city was struck by a 5.6 earthquake.
One of the tour's truck drivers, John O'Shannessy, was among 13 people who died across the city after several buildings were destroyed or badly damaged. Another 162 people were injured.
The venue was among the worst-hit buildings; O'Shannessy was one of nine people at the club to die when the quake struck at 10.29am.
It could have been even worse. Coupe says a decision by long-time roadie Mike Emerson and the time of the earthquake "saved many, many lives".
The road crew had only finished packing up after the previous night's show in Mudgee, north-west of Sydney, at 3am.
Emerson gave most of them a sleep-in, meaning they didn't need to start setting up in Newcastle until 11am. He was woken in his Newcastle accommodation by his alarm, moments before the quake.
"I rolled out of bed and tried to stand up, only to find my legs buckling underneath me," Emerson told Coupe. "I knew I was groggy from the lack of sleep, but this was ridiculous. The whole room was swaying. I pulled back the curtain and saw a plume of smoke in the distance. Was it an explosion? No, an earthquake!"
Emerson later made his way to the venue and spotted the tour's two trucks parked outside.
While the façade was intact, the interior was severely damaged.
"The top-floor auditorium had collapsed down into the second-floor gaming lounge, which had collapsed down into the first-floor bars and restaurants, which in turn had collapsed down to the underground car park."
It was later confirmed that O'Shannessy was inside.
"Imagine the extent of the tragedy if the earthquake struck 12 hours later," Emerson says in Coupe's book.
"Over 2400 punters, all of the musicians, crew, plus wives and girlfriends.
"The international music community would have been indelibly changed if we had lost Crowded House at the height of their career, not to mention Tim Finn and Split Enz and others."
Finn did not respond to requests for comment.
He and the band's latest iteration – including sons Liam and Elroy, and fellow original member Nick Seymour – start their national tour in Hamilton on March 4.
The band, best known for hits including Don't Dream It's Over, Better Be Home Soon, Fall at Your Feet and Four Seasons in One Day, have been working on new material.
