February 1, 2007 19:28

Crowded House make surprise LA appearance

Legendary Kiwis play first show in more than a decade

Crowded House made a surprise appearance last night (January 31) at a Los Angeles benefit concert for drummer Wally Ingram.

Until last night, the legendary Kiwis had not played together since a performance in 1996 at the Sydney Opera House. They had recently announced that they would reunite to play at the Coachella Festival, but that is not until late April.

The sold-out crowd at the Alex Theatre collectively gasped when they saw frontman Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour take the stage.

"We flew in from New Zealand this morning, which is why we're so bleary-eyed," Finn told the stunned audience.

"We played with Wally (Ingram)12 years ago during our Crowded House tour, so we wanted to be here for him," Finn explained.

Ingram, a renowned percussionist who has been battling throat cancer, sat in on the drums during Crowded House's brief set, which included the hits 'Don't Dream It's Over' and 'Weather With You'.

Crowded House's original drummer Paul Hester took his own life in 2005 after battling depression.

The band's next live appearance is scheduled for April 29 at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California .

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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