Top five live shows of 2024

Duran Duran

More than 35 years after Duran Duran last played Omaha, the band returned for an electrifying concert to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Steelhouse Omaha in May.

The show, from the atmospheric opening song “Night Boat” to the obligatory closer “Rio,” was indeed a celebration for everyone. This included the Duranies who had waited outside the venue for over 12 hours and the well-heeled Omahans who filled the balcony, which was closed for a private party.

“Black Moonlight,” a single from their latest album, made up the heart of the show, which included the streaming smash “Invisible” as well as “Friends of Mine” and “Careless Memories.” The Omaha show was the surprise of Duran Duran’s spring tour, according to synth guru Nick Rhodes. “Wow, what an audience. I guess we hadn’t been there for a very long time, and it just all clicked together that night,” he said.

Read more: Duran Duran at Steelhouse Omaha

X

Longtime Los Angeles punk stalwarts X brought their farewell tour to the Waiting Room in Omaha in July. 

X, with all four original members—vocalist Exene Cervenka, bassist and vocalist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D.J. Bonebrake—played 22 songs, a feat that many much younger bands don’t even attempt, proving all the while that they're truly American treasures.

Read more: X bring farewell tour to Omaha

Crowded House

Crowded House showcased their familiar hits and familial ties at The Astro amphitheater in La Vista in September.

The Australian-New Zealand band, led by the ever-talented Neil Finn, also features fellow original member Nick Seymour on bass, longtime collaborator Mitchell Froom on keyboards and Finn’s sons, Liam and Elroy, on guitar and drums, respectively. They were still in top form, playing songs from their newest album as well as exhilarating hits like “Distant Sun” and “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”

Read more: Crowded House at The Astro

The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain 

The Psychedelic Furs brought their current tour, with its impressive lineup, to The Astro in La Vista in October. After the death of saxophone player Mars Williams, The Furs have forged ahead, with longtime collaborator Richard Fortus joining the tour to add a new dimension to their live sound. 

The Jesus and Mary Chain, a band as formidable as the headliners, actually played three more tracks than The Furs. But The Furs, with their expertly curated setlist and dynamic stage presence, enthralled the audience until the final note.

Read more: The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain

Actors

Actors, a post-punk band from Vancouver, Canada, traveled down the West Coast (and elsewhere in the U.S.) in the fall, playing Lodge Room in the Los Angeles area in November. They brought along The Discussion and the new wave-inspired electro group Male Tears for the concert. Actors' 15-song set included favorites like “Slave” and “Strangers” as well as a new single, “Object Of Desire.” They even capped their encore with one of their most intense songs, “Bury Me.”

All photos by Christopher Windle and Karen Duran Windle.

Crowded House prove they haven’t lost the magic with brilliant show at The Astro

Crowded House showcased their familiar hits and familial ties at The Astro amphitheater in La Vista on Friday, providing the ideal soundtrack to a beautiful late-summer evening.

The Australian-New Zealand band, led by the ever-talented Neil Finn, also features fellow original member Nick Seymour on bass, longtime collaborator Mitchell Froom on keyboards, and Finn’s sons, Liam and Elroy, on guitar and drums, respectively—though, like their father, the two really are multi-instrumentalists. 

As the opening act, Liam Finn showed off his own talents, playing drums and guitars and singing, too. Neil Finn’s move of putting his boys in the band was a smart one, as Liam’s voice is especially similar to his dad’s and complements it quite well. Both sons also sang lead during Crowded House’s set, giving Finn a chance to rest his voice a bit.

The band, now approaching their 40th anniversary, are still in top form, as evidenced on their latest album, Gravity Stairs. They played five of that album’s 11 songs, including the wistful “Teenage Summer” and the joyful “Oh Hi.” The new songs fit seamlessly among the band’s scores of ’80s and ’90s hits.

To open the concert, they went back to the start, playing “Recurring Dream” followed by “World Where You Live,” from their classic self-titled debut. Mid-set, Finn switched from guitar to piano for a few songs, including “Message to My Girl,” one of two Split Enz covers played during the show. They followed that with “When You Come” and “Private Universe,” which featured an extended outro that added intensity to the already-stunning track. 

Elroy Finn moved out from behind the drum kit for “Thirsty,” another track off the new album, and touring percussionist Paul Taylor filled in on drums. Liam Finn also took a turn on lead vocals on “The Howl,” another new song, which was “the most played song in Omaha, Nebraska, tonight,” his father remarked. (He had played it to open the concert, too.)

The show then hit a high point—and it only built from there. Hearing Crowded House perform perhaps their finest song, “Distant Sun,” followed by their biggest hit, “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” can only be described as magical.

They closed the main set with two more hits, “Something So Strong” and “Weather With You,” prompting the crowd to sing along and then cheer for more. They opened the encore with another Split Enz cover, “I Got You,” which the audience members had voted to hear via a QR code. That was followed by “Nails in My Feet,” from the excellent Youth-produced ’90s album Together Alone. They ended the show on a low-key but no less exhilarating note with the ballad “Into Temptation,” which led into a brief version of “Better Be Home Soon.”

Crowded House—with their 23-track set list, witty and quirky between-song banter, and brilliant playing—put on a musical display that won’t soon be forgotten. Followed by a ride down the slides near the venue and a brief moonlit walk, the show made for a perfect evening.

Photos by Karen Duran Windle and Christopher Windle