LOVES a natter, Neil. Too-talkative performers can be a pain in the arse at times (witness Chris "Coldplay" Martin or Billy "banging" Bragg), but Mr Finn's conversational exuberance quite clearly comes from a love of performing to his audience. He's not grandstanding, nor is he on a soapbox, so a bit of over-extended banter is permissible.

Especially when you get the flipside of his warmth for an audience in spades. At different points throughout the show, Finn threw out open invitations to the crowd to join him on stage.

"I don't suppose anyone here tonight knows Tim's vocal part to Four Seasons In One Day, do they?" he asked. The quickest hand to be raised belonged to a young bloke with a good voice, and, clearly, a deep familiarity with Tim Finn's harmonising. The sly thumbs up he threw his dad half way through was hilarious, but fair enough.

Three other songs featured audience members, including freelance piano on Message To My Girl, the show's eventual peak.

Songs from Try Whistling This and Crowded House faves stood out clearly against less familiar new tracks, which found mixed success. Finn returns in April after the release of One Nil - no doubt many fans will have figured out their harmony parts by then.