It wasn't my idea the band wanted to do it. I didn't want to impose my presence on it.

“The beautiful thing that happened was that in reimagining ‘Don’t Dream It's Over’ and having Stevie sing it with me, it set up a really great moment in the show,” says Finn, although he admits he had his doubts about this as well. While Finn’s performance of 1980’s “I Got You,” a college radio and early-MTV hit for his previous new wave band Split Enz, didn’t quite gel with the rest of the Mac setlist on early tour dates, his duet of “Don’t Dream It’s Over” with Nicks, which dreamily glided right into an acoustic version of Nicks’s own “Landslide,” became a tour staple and a highlight of every gig. The second day it really clicked, for one reason or another, and seemed entirely obvious.”Īnother surprise - one that actually perfectly set up the imminent return of Crowded House - was when it came for the new Mac lineup to tour, both Finn and Campbell got their own nightly spotlights to showcase their own work. We did two days, and the first day was harder to gauge what was going on. And I did.” Finn confesses he was uncharacteristically nervous on that first audition day at Fleetwood’s Hawaiian home “because it was an unfamiliar role. “Even if it didn't work out, they just said, you know, that's an experience that a musician should have if they've given a chance. It was Finn’s family that talked him into taking up Fleetwood’s offer, understandably telling him, “‘Um, what? You're not going to go and stand in the rehearsal room and sing with Stevie and Christine and play with John ? I mean, are you crazy?” Finn laughs. So, I suppose all of those things congealed in my mind coming off the back of Fleetwood Mac, having the experience of being in the midst of a classic band that had once again redefined itself and found a new way of presenting.

And there's a sense of occasion when it's a Crowded House record. The group’s seventh studio album signifies a new chapter as well as a full-circle return: Renowned producer Mitchell Froom, who helmed Crowded House's first three studio albums (including the 1986 self-titled debut that spawned the massive and enduring single “Don’t Dream It’s Over”), is now their full-time keyboardist, and band leader Neil Finn’s sons, Liam and Elroy, have also officially joined the expanded lineup.Īs Finn tells Yahoo Entertainment, “It just seemed like a real development for Crowded House. The wait is over for fans of New Zealand legends Crowded House, who finally return this week with their first album in more than a decade, the majestic Dreamers Are Waiting.

Mac and ariana