A receptive, polite and decidedly middle aged crowd greets openers Augie March, who are probably one of the finest opening bands I've seen of late. While the room seems a little too huge for a band of their stature, and their fans are few and far between among a growingly impatient audience, their sound is generally well received.

Singer Glenn Richards has an excellent voice, in spite of the cold he apologizes for several times. Their set, featuring mostly songs from recent release Moo, You Bloody Choir is short and pleasant.

Touring in support of their new disc; Time On Earth, Crowded House take to the stage soon afterwards and between Finn's glorious voice and a genuinely haunting tribal arrangement of opening number "Private Universe", the band bring the room to a complete standstill.

New drummer Matt Sherrod (formerly the drummer for Beck) proves a worthy successor to the late Paul Hester, relishing the chance to really showcase his chops in the powerful number. The sound is crystal clear, the drums are firing on all cylinders, the guitar work is amazingly present and the audience feels like it's breathless. The song is my favourite Crowded House number and to be in the room as they not only opened with it but made several jaws drop was an incredible moment personally.

Shifting from eerie atmosphere into sing along pop is Crowded House' forte, and the next song "Mean To Me" really lifts the roof off the BEC.

From then on in, it's a who's who of classic House tunes, everything from The Beatles-inspired "Not The Girl You Think You Are", "Pineapple Head", "When You Come", "Fall At Your Feet", "Four Seasons In One Day", "Weather With You", "Distant Sun", "Something So Strong", "World Where You Live" and "Don't Dream It's Over" leading to the final encore of "Better Be Home Soon".

Listening in to the cream of their catalogue in one sitting, it becomes obvious just how prolific a songwriter Finn is. While his understated guitar work and unyielding hook-writing are definitely his strength; his voice is his trump card.

Neil Finn's throat simply has not aged. He sounds as solid as he did on the band's 1986's self-titled release. Enough said.

With ever-charismatic bassist Mark Seymour (dressed in a white suit), Sherrod, and Mark Hart completing the lineup, Crowded House dazzle the Entertainment Centre in one of the most flawless live shows I've seen in a very long time.