Three Reasons to See Liam Finn @ The Tractor on Saturday
By Matt Brown
New Zealand experimental pop songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Liam Finn is playing at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard this Friday night and there’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll have a great time at his show. I’ve been following Liam’s musical career with great interest since I first saw him onstage at the Showbox in 1998, playing guitar in his father’s solo project when he was just fourteen. Liam’s dad, Neil Finn, is also the driving force behind Crowded House – a favorite band of mine for several decades, and a band Liam was eventually to join as a touring member. But so what, and why the hell should YOU care?
REASON 1 – LIAM FINN IS BADASS.
I get the same thrill watching Liam put his guitar aside and jump behind the drums in the middle of a song as I do when I watch an old clip of young Stevie Wonder playing one instrument after another effortlessly. It’s exciting to see someone so full of creativity and talent show off onstage with a huge grin on their face. He’s simply badass.
REASON 2 – LIAM FINN’S BAND IS BADASS.
It’s even more exciting to see Liam’s brother Elroy playing a second set of drums onstage, each sibling pushing the other to do his best as they duel. A high point from their show at the Crocodile in 2011 was an explosively perfect rendition of Abbey Road’s entire closing medley by the brothers. Liam’s band on this tour is called the Dream Team, and it’s comprised of his most badass collaborators (including Elroy and the spectacular Ms. Eliza Jane Barnes) from the last eight years or so.
REASON 3 – LIAM FINN HAS LOVED SEATTLE SINCE HE WAS A BADASS LITTLE KID AND HE’S GOING TO WORK HARD TO MAKE SATURDAY NIGHT’S SHOW ESPECIALLY FUN AND EXCITING (AND BADASS) BECAUSE HE REALLY WANTS US TO LOVE HIM TOO.
Trust me on this. Liam Finn and his Dream Team will deliver. You should go.