Crowded House was my very favourite band before they broke up in the mid-90's. They've gotten back together for at least one album, Time On Earth, and tour. Naturally I was excited to find out they were coming to Vancouver to play at the Orphem Theatre - their first concert here in over a decade. So, the minute that tickets went on sale, I went online to buy one. I even scored a front row seat.

But the civic strike changed all that. The strike has been dragging on for weeks, with no end in sight. Since the Orpheum is operated by civic workers, the concert had to be moved to Malkin Bowl, an outdoor venue in Stanley Park with no reserved seating (and often no seating at all, as turned out to be the case for the Crowded House concert) and leaving the audience exposed to the elements. So my front row Orpheum seat meant nothing. All I could do was get there as early as possible, and bring proper clothing, as the forecast called for rain.

The good thing about the change in venue was that cameras were allowed in Malkin Bowl, as long as they weren't "professional" cameras. By that, I'm sure they meant SLR's. I planned to sneak in my D80 anyway, knowing that with so many people standing together so tightly packed (the way it is for venues with no seating), I'd be able to use it without being noticed by security. But I also packed my Fuji F30 compact just in case it didn't work out. I packed my cameras into the bottom of my Tamrac Express Pack 8, which looks like a regular backpack from the outside, but has a separate bottom compartment specifically designed for camera equipment.

I got to Malkin Bowl just before 6 PM and got into the "will call" line to pick up my ticket. As I got nearer to the front, I noticed that some event employees were searching people's bags on their way in. I am so screwed, I thought. I wondered what I would say...something about the D80 not really being a professional camera like the D2X or even the D200 (an excuse I knew they wouldn't accept).

When it was my turn, I placed my backpack on the table to be searched. The woman looked through the top compartment (nothing of note there), the two side compartments (same story), and the front compartment (ditto). I nervously waited for her to unzip the the last, bottom compartment that held my beloved D80...

...and instead she thanked me and said I could proceed into the theatre.

I couldn't believe it. She hadn't realized there was one more compartment. I silently thanked Tamrac for creating such a covertly-designed backpack, and moved along.

As for the concert itself, it rained on and off for the duration. I got wet and so did my D80. Occasionally I wiped it off with a cloth during the performance, and it seems to have suffered no ill effects from that evening. The lens that I used was an older 70-210mm f/4.5-5.6 that is on indefinite loan from my brother. It has neither a fast constant aperture nor does it have image stabilization, so it definitely wasn't the best lens to be using for an event such as this, as the blur in most of the pictures demonstrates. But it definitely beats the pictures that I took with my little F30.

Oh, and Crowded House were fantastic, as always. It's hard to believe that they haven't been together for over ten years. There were the two remaining original members, singer/guitarist/keyboardist Neil Finn, and bassist Nick Seymour. Also back was guitarist/keyboardist Mark Hart, who had joined the band for their 4th and last studio album prior to the break-up, Together Alone. Although I do miss Paul Hester (who took his own life in 2005) terribly, Matt Sherrod seems to be an excellent addition as the band's new drummer. Liam Finn, Neil's oldest son, was present for most of the performance as well, on guitar and keyboard. He was originally scheduled to be one of the opening acts along with Pete Yorn, but the audience was told that he was a casualty of the change in venue (I don't know exactly why). It's nice to see him all grown up and coming into his own.

Neil Finn is, in my mind, one of the best songwriters in the business. His songs range from catchy, hook-filled tunes to denser, less accessible pieces that you gradually sink your teeth into upon repeated listens. Played live, the songs take on a new energy. Crowded House have a way of making their concerts feel intimate. They have a great rapport with their audiences. It helps that they play in smaller venues, unlike Coldplay (my other favourite band) whose popularity necessitates that they perform in cavernous stadiums like GM Place. To their credit, they didn't seem to mind the change in venue or the rain, and seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the crowd were.

In the end, I was wet, I was cold, and I could barely feel my feet after having stood in one spot for nearly four hours straight. And, for Crowded House, I would do it all again.