Welcome to the Irish summer, where monsoon-like rains and flash-floods transform Marley Park into a soggy, boggy wetland for what was an odd double-bill. Despite the relentless downpour, Crowded House – back together after a decade-long hiatus – hit the stage on time and immediately cheered up the crowds with their blend of hummable tunes and Antipodean banter. Miraculously, the rains cleared and blue skies emerged just as they kicked into the new single ‘Don’t Stop Now’. The ‘House have always been about quality tunes and the set relied heavily on perennial favourites such as, ‘Weather With You’, ‘Four Seasons In One Day’ and the sublimely brilliant ‘Private Universe’. Alas, it was all over too quickly and some might have felt cheated by the brevity of the set and lack of an encore following their parting shot, ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’. (Don’t worry, though, they’re back again for another date in November.)
With little delay, the legend that is Peter Gabriel soon took to the stage looking for all the world like a Bavarian squire with his leather waistcoat hiding an ample girth. His voice shows little signs of age, and a crack band conjured up a high-octane set of mostly familiar numbers (nothing from his Genesis days, though). The early part of the show concentrated heavily on his trio of self-titled albums and included ‘DIY’ ‘Intruder’ and ‘Family Snapshot’. Not surprisingly, more familiar tunes such as his first solo hit ‘Solsbury Hill’ and his mega-smash ‘Sledgehammer’ went down a treat, and his encore. ‘In Your Eyes’ sent the hoards home wet but happy.