Photos by Andy Argyrakis

“Dreamers Are Waiting” isn’t just the name of Crowded House’s latest long player and first in over a decade, but it’s probably what fans have felt since the pandemic delayed performances in support of the project, followed by an unrelated injury that caused another round of postponements.

But to those who held on to their tickets and passed the test of patience, original singer/guitarist Neil Finn (recently recruited for Fleetwood Mac), fellow co-founding bassist Nick Seymour, longtime producer turned keyboardist Mitchell Froom, plus the front man’s sons Liam on guitar and Elroy on drums seemed to make everyone’s wishes come true at a crowded (no pun intended) Chicago Theatre.

For well over two hours, the core fellas from Australia, New Zealand and now America, alongside a bonus percussionist, more than made up for their absence from the area since 2010, diving into not only the current indie rock-flavored collection and a bit of what’s to come, but a celebrated and constantly covered jangle pop past.

In spite of the several line-up changes since the mid-1980s and the tragic loss of beat keeper Paul Hester, everyone sounded exactly like Crowded House should from the opening harmonies of “When You Come” and the sunny follow-up “World Where You Live.”

They dropped a few tracks even newer than the album, such as the quickly connective “Life’s Imitation” and the melodic gem “Oh, Hi,” started the previous night and completed in the morning, pointing to the band’s prolific abilities.

The powerhouse “Pineapple Head” also popped up in all its quirky glory, “Message To My Girl” from Split Enz made for quite a pleasant surprise as a solo piano piece for Neil, “Private Universe” extended into a jazzy jam and a semi-acoustic “Four Seasons In One Day” sent everyone to their feet.

Additional Crowded House classics included “It’s Only Natural,” “Mean To Me” and “Something So Strong,” though there was arguably nothing more immortal than “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” as pretty much every phone inside the landmark venue snapped at least a snippet.

A lengthy encore was bookended by Split Enz’s new wave nugget “I Got You” and the headliners’ own “Better Be Home Soon,” though based on the accompanying sing-a-long, hopefully the latter becomes a mantra to bring the infrequently touring act back much sooner than later.

For additional information on Crowded House, visit CrowdedHouse.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Chicago Theatre include Natalie Merchant (May 19); Billy Porter (May 26); Seal (May 27); H.E.R. (Jun. 15); Rodrigo y Gabriela (Jun. 16); Lyle Lovett (Jun. 18); Jinkx Monsoon (Jul. 14); Kansas (Jul. 15); Jill Scott (Jul. 24-25); Ed Sheeran (Jul. 28); Ray LaMontagne (Sept. 27); Gregory Alan Isakov (Oct. 1); Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band (Oct. 5); Bonnie Raitt (Oct. 8); The Temptations and The Four Tops (Oct. 14) and My Morning Jacket (Nov. 9-11). For additional details, visit TheChicagoTheatre.com.

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