Crowded House to encore their legendary 'Farewell To The World' concert at Sydney Opera House’s Forecourt

On November 24, 1996, Crowded House said Farewell to the World with a celebrated concert held on the steps of the iconic Sydney Opera House. This November, almost 20 years to the day, they return to that iconic space to celebrate their induction into the ARIA Hall Of Fame at the 2016 ARIA Awards.

Crowded House will perform two very special Encore shows exclusive to Sydney and Australia, their only appearances worldwide during 2016, on Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26.

From the time that their self-titled first album was released in 1986, thirty years ago, Australia’s love affair with Crowded House was as instant as it was defining. Now, with album sales approaching two million units (more than 26-times platinum), and with 16 top fifty singles and five #1 albums in Australia to date, that love affair continues unabated.

13-time ARIA Award winners, Crowded House founding members, Neil Finn and Nick Seymour said:

Nick: “I am excited to announce two ‘Encore’ performances on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. The shows will mark the 20th anniversary of our break-up concert. ‘Proper order!' I say, as being at the top of our game, I didn’t want to break up in the first place! I’ve come to realise ‘the top of our game' is whenever we get together so please join us for a fuck off sing song, an off-piste jam session, a toast to absent friends and NO RAIN.”

Neil: “We are thrilled all seven of our albums are about to be reissued in all formats including vinyl, each one accompanied by a rich trove of rarities including writing demos and other unreleased musical curiosities, as well as new original artwork from my dear friend Nick Seymour. This has been many years in the making with much of the exhaustive listening, editing and remixing being done by the keeper of knowledge Jeremy Ansell in Auckland. It has been a labour of love for us and our mission all along was making a superlative quality, definitive document of Crowded House’s unique history for all the fans who have given us their affection over the years.

Dan Rosen, ARIA Chief Executive Officer said: “Today is a great day for Crowded House fans who will be able to make the journey back to the iconic Sydney Opera House to relive the magic from 20 years ago, which will be a true highlight of the ARIA Week celebrations. We also would like to thank our presenting partner Destination NSW for bringing Crowded House back to Sydney for these special exclusive shows.”

Michael Coppel, President and CEO of Live Nation Australasia said: “I and Live Nation have had the unmatched privilege of working with Crowded House and with Neil Finn for many, many years. It’s a rare pleasure to be able to present the Encore concerts to celebrate Crowded House’s continuing and stellar career that is now entering its fourth decade.”

Opening for Crowded House will be Kirin J Callinan. Not afraid to push the limits he makes exhilarating, genre-bending music delivered with both flamboyance and a serrated edge.

The Crowded House 30-year celebration will also herald an unprecedented re-issue program spanning their entire career, unlocking a wealth of rare material. Each of Crowded House's six studio albums - Crowded House, Temple Of Low Men, Woodface, Together Alone, Time on Earth, Intriguer plus 1999's rarities album Afterglow, will be released as deluxe editions on Friday, November 4.

Each body of work will be expanded to include previously unreleased studio recordings, home demos, live tracks, b-sides and other rarities. In physical format, each album will contain a 36-page book showcasing unseen photos, new interview transcripts with Neil Finn and Nick Seymour, liner notes from esteemed album producers and journalists, alongside insights from the creator of the benchmark setting cover art for each album; Nick Seymour. Each album will also be made available on 180-gram vinyl; back on the format for the first time in many years.  The Deluxe editions and vinyl are available to pre-order now at CrowdedHouse.com.

Crowded House

Friday November 25th: Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney 

Saturday November 26th: Sydney Opera House Forecourt, Sydney

Fan Club pre-sale: 11am September 20 until 11am September 21

Flight Centre Travel Packages on-sale: 3pm September 23

For complete tour and ticketing details, visit: www.livenation.co.nz