7 Worlds Colllide- Neil Finn and Friends (6th January, The Powerstation, Auckland)

The expectations for this gig were very high. They had to be- we'd flown from Queenstown especially to see this gig, cancelled our night in Wanaka and booked into a hotel room in Auckland, a place we didn't really develop a fondness for during our brief stay. As soon as the parade of familiar faces appeared though, we knew it was worth the time, the money and the effort of organising this diversion during our New Zealand trip.

The line up was amazing- Neil Finn, son Liam, Johnny Marr, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien and Phil Selway, previous 7 Worlds participants Sebastian Steinberg and Lisa Germano, Don McGlashon of the Muttonbirds, Bic Runga, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt, Pat Sansone and Glenn Kotche and KT Tunstall.

The night opened with Distant Sun, the Crowded House song from which the project's title has been derived. Each song featured a range of artists and each artist had a chance to showcase their talents. We heard a mix of songs from Crowded House (Distant Sun, Weather With You, Four Seasons In One Day, Throw Your Arms Around Me), Johnny Marr (There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, Down on the Corner), Liam Finn (Gather to the Chapel and Second Chance), Bic Runga (Change of Heart), KT Tunstall (Suddenly I See) and of course Wilco (Reservations, War on War, The Late Greats, California Stars, Jesus Etc and I'm A Wheel). But the best part of the show was seeing the involvement of other artists. Pat Sansone played drums, guitar and keyboard, sang backing vocals and supported everyone. Don McGlashon played tuba and guitar. Liam Finn played guitar for almost everything and put in amazing performances all night.

There were many great moments throughout the night. Neil, Liam and Elroy Finn performed a heart felt song together. Bic Runga had John Stirratt from Wilco, one of her favourite bands, supporting her during a solo song. Neil Finn sang an ambitious (and successful) cover of Bodysnatchers. Jeff Tweedy sang I'm A Wheel acapella after waiting too long for his guitar. Then he realised the lyrics weren't worth the effort.

John Stirratt added new flavour to KT Tunstall by singing backing vocals on her song Suddenly I See. Bic and KT sang their murder ballad Black Ribbon, written together sitting in the basement after being engulfed by male egos. Neil Finn played the piano line in The Late Greats, receiving special commendations from Jeff Tweedy. Liam Finn's stage antics were appealing, as was the chorus Neil wrote while half drunk for KT Tunstall's new song Hazel Black. Neil and Johnny mercilessly teased one of the bouncers at the side of the stage. Jeff, John, Ed and Phil supported KT Tunstall covering Radiohead's Fake Plastic Trees (apparently sung the previous night by Jeff Tweedy instead).

One of the highlights of the night was Phil Selway's foray into playing guitar and singing on stage, self confessedly his second ever live attempt to do so. He played a brilliant song called Family Man (listed in the set list as The Ties That Bind Us) which is sure to be a highlight of the studio album as well. The new material is all fantastic, making the album much anticipated for this year.

It was a show the audience loved, and we had a feeling the artists really enjoyed themselves as well. It closed with Wilco covering Thunderclap Newman's Something in the Air and pretty much everyone on stage doing something. Definitely one of the best gigs of all time and something I want to remember closely for as long as possible.