During the late 70s/early 80s I was a bit of a fan of Split Enz. During the 80s and 90s I was an even bigger fan of Crowded House. I saw them several times during their career and was fortunate enough to meet them backstage on a few occasions. Their concerts were so individual, every single one had something special about it that I now have to remember of it. My favourite has to be Leicester De Montfort Hall in 1992, with Paul Hester climbing along the balcony, while Neil made up a song on the spot, about the escapade. They were never less than completely entertaining.
Which is why it was with great sadness I discovered that Paul Hester died on Saturday.
Paul was the joker of the pack, with Nick often the straight man and Neil attempting to rise above it, even though he was often worse than the other two. Paul had a bizarre sense of humour and while some of his songs might be difficult to understand, they seemed to fit perfectly with the band songs. Italian Plastic was always a joy to watch them perform. Now I just have the great memories. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet him.
