More than 100,000 fans saw Neil Finn and Paul Kelly's joint Australian tour earlier this year. That it didn't come here too is deeply regrettable and possibly inspires some unkind thoughts towards the audiences audible on this generous 29-track live set (there's a DVD too) who can be heard havinga very good time, while both gents' respective NZ fanbases wonder: Was it something we said?
Ah well. There's plenty for the Finn- or Kelly-tragic to enjoy after the fact. As the pair swap verses, or add a new harmony or harmonica line, magic moments arrive at regular intervals which neatly offset the familiarity of the tracks.
Among the best reboots are Finn's take on his offsider's You Can Put Your Shoes Under My Bed and Kelly returning the reinterpretative compliment on Crowded House's Into Temptation.
Though it starts off in Everly Brothers' acoustic style on Kelly's Don't Stand So Close to the Window, and ends up in a croon of Moon River, it's largely a full-bodied band affair - one powered by the drumming of number two son Elroy Finn (going for broke on Dumb Things), and the elegant electric guitar of nephew-sideman Dan Kelly.
So a family affair too and one that shows that if songs can have long-lost cousins, then Finn and Kelly's should get together for a natter more often.
