Onstage surprise for audience

NEIL Finn took audience participation to dizzying new heights at the Waterfront on Saturday.

Not one, not two, but four members of the audience were invited onstage to sing and play along.

So take a bow, Gerard, Ian, Damien and Ian (not the same one) who did themselves and Belfast proud.

Finn had a bit of gentle fun at their expense (especially the second Ian, who flunked the chords to 'Four Seasons In One Day' and found himself relegated to backing vocals), but seemed to enjoy the shared experience as much as the audience.

And it was that sense of the unexpected, of not knowing quite what was coming next, that made it a memorable show.

From the moment Finn strolled onstage, strumming a brilliant acoustic version of Crowded House favourite 'When You Come', to the impromptu jam that followed it, to asking band member Lisa Germano to step forward and sing one of her own songs as an encore, Finn took obvious delight in defying expectations.

The one certainty was the quality of the songs, because there's a touch of genius in Finn's magical combination of sumptuous melodies and common emotions, simply but brilliantly articulated.

The songs from new album 'One Nil' didn't pale in comparison with the old favourites that littered the two hour set. 'Fall At Your Feet', 'Distant Sun', a spine tingling 'Private Universe', 'Weather With You', 'She Will Have Her Way' . . . these are all classic songs.

Musically, the band was a bit loose on occasions, understandably so, given it was the first night of their UK tour.

But, if anything, it only added to the uniqueness of the event, a real night to remember... especially if you got to clamber onstage and fulfil a dream.