Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

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Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by Man out of Time »

Elvis and The Imposters, with Charlie Sexton play the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston, MA on Monday, August 15th. Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets are the support act. The Leader Bank Pavilion was previously named Harborlights Pavilion, FleetBoston Pavilion, Bank of America Pavilion, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion and Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion.

Writing for Boston.Com on February 16th, 2022, Peter Chianca previewed the concert thus:

"Prepare for a rocking Elvis Costello in Boston, with Nick Lowe in tow

Elvis and the Imposters hit Leader Bank Pavilion on Aug. 15.

You could be forgiven if you thought Elvis Costello had started coasting a bit after the release of his album “National Ransom” in 2010. The only original collection we saw from rock’s original angry young man over the next seven years was “Wise Up Ghost,” his funky experimental set with The Roots — a welcome addition to the oeuvre, but overall a sparse output for someone known for cranking out an album a year in his 1980s heyday.

That changed in 2018, when Elvis kicked off a trilogy that is arguably his best threesome since some of his very earliest records — the lush, character-driven “Look Now, ” 2020’s quirky, lively “Hey Clockface,” and this year’s “A Boy Named If,” which finds Costello in full rocker mode (albeit with the usual melodic jangle and sly turns of phrase).

Now Elvis and his post-Attractions band The Impostors are taking to the road with what is likely to be a (mostly?) post-pandemic cathartic set of high-octane numbers from “A Boy Named If” and, hopefully, a fair number of Costello standards. (But not “Oliver’s Army” — he doesn’t do that one anymore.)

As if that weren’t enough, when they arrive at Leader Bank Pavilion in August they’ll have longtime collaborator Nick Lowe (backed by Nashville surf-rockers Los Straitjackets) in tow as opening act. Lowe famously wrote and first recorded “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding” before it became one of Costello’s biggest hits. Might we see a duet this time around? Stranger things have happened."

Who's going?

MOOT
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by bronxapostle »

Let me bump this awaiting any report...
whiteknux
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by whiteknux »

Tonight felt like we got a few more songs than the earlier shows on the tour. Sorry I don't have a setlist- I'm usually pretty good about keeping one, but I typically don't worry about keeping notes at an Elvis show as I know someone will and I can allow myself to be a bit lazy and take in the music.

This was the first EC show I've seen since Providence last fall. I've been seeing him since the late 90's and listening since I was a kid in the late 80's- not as long as some of you, of course, but long enough that I feel fairly confident discussing things in this forum. The show in Rhode Island last year suffered from some venue-related sound issues, but, and it pains me to say this, there were issues w/ Elvis as well. Some stellar moments ("The Comedians" was a highlight) but there were real and glaring pitch issues which I had read about here but really hadn't experienced to the point that it was distracting before that night. I've witnessed the behind the beat phrasing before but that seemed like a stylistic choice, for better or worse. As a veteran of 50 Dylan shows I am certainly familiar with, uh, idiosyncratic vocal attacks and the peaks and valleys the human voice endures after many decades of live performance, but Bob didn't burden himself with the same kind of melodies Elvis has written, and of course he hasn't always had to concern himself with pitch either.

Tonight in Boston was much better than Providence last fall, and the more faster, more rocking songs were for the most part the most successful. I was in the 5th row Steve side, and the Pavilion is a covered venue by the Atlantic Ocean near the airport, so the sound can be slightly muddy, but it was pretty clear for the most part. Elvis was charming and happy, and he really does seem to enjoy playing in Boston. He gave us some of the canned patter (playing at the Catholic School for Girls and being paid in furtive glances etc.) from the Fallon show and I assume other recent shows and talked about the first time they came through and played the Paradise here long ago.

I really don't like to complain, and seeing EC play these wonderful songs on a gorgeous summer night on the water is certainly one of the finest things you could get to do in this town as far as I'm concerned, but man, he is pitchy at times. Ballads in particular. Nicole Atkins is a great, great singer and she really holds the slow numbers together when EC goes off the reservation. "I'll Wear it Proudly" is one of my all-time favorite songs, by him or anyone, and I feel fortunate to have seen it twice, but I winced a bit tonight in places and was really glad she was there to center things. They should probably ask her to join the band and take over the Kitten/Briana duties on all the tunes. Is it possible some of this is related to a hearing issue with EC or is this just something that has grown more pronounced over the years?

Either way, a fun night despite some vocal issues. It was interesting to hear "I Want You" sung by a soon to be 68 year old man- it sort of repurposed the lyric (to me at least) as the howl of an older gent being cuckolded by someone young and dumb and callow. And "Farewell, OK" is a jam. I know Elvis seems to be able to write that sort of thing in his sleep, but as someone who thinks "Momofuku" is probably his best late period record, I'll take all of those I can get.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by And No Coffee Table »

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... -15_Boston

01. Accidents Will Happen
02. Green Shirt
03. Either Side Of The Same Town
04. Hetty O'Hara Confidential
05. Mystery Dance - including fourth verse
06. Watching The Detectives - including Invisible Lady
07. I'll Wear It Proudly - with Nicole Atkins
08. My Most Beautiful Mistake - with Nicole Atkins
09. Still Too Soon To Know - with Nicole Atkins
10. You Belong To Me - with Nicole Atkins
11. Penelope Halfpenny
12. What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love?
13. Indoor Fireworks - with Nick Lowe
14. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? - with Nick Lowe
15. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
16. Magnificent Hurt
17. Pump It Up
18. Radio, Radio - first verse sung in Spanish
19. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
20. Farewell, OK
21. I Want You
22. Alison
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by MOJO »

@whiteknux - Nice little write up/review of the show. Sounds like you just overlooked all the nostalgia of seeing EC on stage. It’s not very Summer 2022 of you (in my opinion). Seems like EC /Imps are all working really hard up there - city after city. Enjoy every minute of it is my Summer 2022 approach.. Because it sure beats sitting behind these screens pontificating like real swarmy aholes. ‘
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by Arnie »

I'll 2nd the "pitchy" vocal moments. I've watched a few clips of this latest tour and yeah, its there. Also, the behind the beat vocal stuff he really takes too far.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/08/16/ ... key-elvis/

At Leader Bank Pavilion, songs in the key of Elvis
The two solid hours that Elvis Costello and his band, the Imposters, put in Monday night at Leader Bank Pavilion had almost all of the ingredients of a memorable or even spectacular Costello show.

Part of what’s billed as “The Boy Named If & Other Favorites” tour, it certainly had ample servings of both. Costello didn’t get to 2022′s “The Boy Named If” until midway through the evening. But he offered up five of its songs, with “Magnificent Hurt” and “Farewell, OK” in particular illustrating how evocative the album is of early Elvis.

Fittingly enough, and true to the tour’s titular promise, the rest of the setlist was dominated by favorites drawn from that period; “Armed Forces,” “My Aim Is True,” and “This Year’s Model” accounted for 11 of its 23 songs. But like the new album, those songs weren’t simple reprises of what came before. Costello interpolated an extended “Invisible Lady” into “Watching the Detectives” to marvelous effect, and concert staple “Pump It Up” was simply rocket-fueled. He wandered off the favorites path as well, for the hep-cat noir vibe of “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” (driving home the song’s line “now everyone has a megaphone” by using one to deliver it), and for a muscular run-through of his song “I Want You,” which came with a sly, passing reference to the Beatles’ song of the same name.

Long-running supporting outfit the Imposters were as tight and as rocking as ever, and they were augmented by Austinite Charlie Sexton, whose guitar work, now ferocious on “What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love?,” now delicate on closing song “Alison,” was a highlight of the evening. There were guests, both expected and unannounced, as well. It was no surprise to see Nick Lowe, who played an opening set accompanied by Los Straitjackets, return to the stage for a pair of songs with his longtime fellow-traveler, including, naturally, the song that has done much for Costello (and, via royalties, for him), “(What’s So Funny) ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?” As for the unannounced, it was singer Nicole Atkins (who opened some of earlier shows on the tour) joining Costello to lend her magnificent pipes (and her sass) to some back-and-forth on “Still too Soon to Know” and to five more songs.

As ever, Costello the witty raconteur was in fine form, with allegedly autobiographical recountings that included a backdrop to the song “Penelope Halfpenny.” His skills as a guitarist were also very much on display, nowhere more so than on the jagged, punctuating lines he added to “I Want You” and “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea.”

Given all that, what was missing? To put it simply, it had to do with Costello’s singing. From opening song “Accidents Will Happen” on, finding the same key as his band was in seemed to be a recurring problem, and it reached a nadir during what should have been a high point of the show, the songs he sang with Atkins (especially “I’ll Wear It Proudly,” which threatened to go completely off the rails). When Costello was hitting the mark vocally, the show was all it could be; when he wasn’t, it was impossible to ignore.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by whiteknux »

That's so odd- it's like the reviewer from the Globe went to the exact same show I did!

Don't get me wrong, MOJO, and I think I accurately conveyed my love and respect for the man and his music despite the lateness of the hour I chose to type my little review. Just in case, I'll declare here- I will go see the man in performance until he falls off his stool ala Pacino or Tommy Cooper. Certainly having the luxury to have wonderful seats to view a band as good as the Imposters (also a longtime fan of Charlie Sexton's playing and I already mentioned Ms. Atkins) *plus* a great set from a songwriter as uniformly excellent as Nick Lowe (dig Los Straitjackets as well- it's really a winning combo of an evening all around) to start things off and then even complaining about anything is at best a first-world problem. Perhaps I am overlooking the nostalgia of it all- I think because, well, I'm not going there for the sake of nostalgia. I save that for less vital artists, not someone I consider to be the greatest popular songwriter of his era (and it's not even close) and one who continues to create worthwhile material. If I want to see some band I thought was good in college with friends from college and gobble some drugs like I did in college- well, I'm sure Phish will be back around soon. They're dependable that way.

The vocal issues are there, and I am not alone in noticing. It doesn't mean they're permanent- I saw 81-year old Bob Dylan in Memphis just this last May and here in Boston last November sing better than I have heard in years. I hope to say the same thing about EC. Either way, I'll be there and I bet I'll even have a good time.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by whiteknux »

Also, MOJO, did you mean smarmy? I don't think I know the term swarmy, but I like it!
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by MOJO »

@whitenutz… ah, yes. I can’t see. And thanks, Now you are correcting my posts. Come on! PS- No offense to you. It’s meant in general. You know, posts like this… You seem to be some sort of VIP of some kind. Leisurely writing away, or maybe some kind of Captain of industry? or a captain of your own leisure chair? Who knows. Must be nice. Peace.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by whiteknux »

Well, MOJO, my new friend- I'm hardly a VIP, neither captain of industry nor even my own chair. If there's a vision issue that caused the typo, please accept my apology- I was legitimately curious if it was a word I was unaware of- I've been called many a name and can always appreciate a new one. However, as the parent of a blind child, I certainly wouldn't ever want to be perceived as making a snarky comment about someone's vision and rest assured it was in no way intended as such. Just wanted to make sure. Not a parent of deaf child, though! Therefore, had I taken her to the show she most likely would have heard, as I and the local scribe did, that there are presently some issues with our beloved entertainer and his relationship to pitch. I don't think pointing it out marks me as cunt or troll, and certainly no less of an enthusiast of the man's body of work or the effort he puts into his performance, "city after city" and night after night. I'm sincerely perplexed I've rubbed you so wrong but I confess it makes me like this return to the message board. Arguing about Elvis Costello is fun, unlike arguing about so many things. Peace to you as well my dude.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by MOJO »

All good @whiteknux.I have a friend with a blind child and I’ve never seen a kid so amazing… all thanks to a great family upbringing as I am sure you are offering to your own child. Accept my apologies. No offense. I’m an idiot. Your comments were worth a read. For now, I’m bailing the board as I am clearly the ultimate tool. Peace.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by whiteknux »

And to you, MOJO! I have high hopes of making it to one of the Gramercy shows next February- if you do as well and we are both so fortunate to be at the same one and cross paths I will gladly buy you the libation of your choice and raise it to the continued health and greatness of one Mr. MacManus. It would be my pleasure. I don't think you are an idiot at all and I hope you return to this here message board soon!
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by MOJO »

@whiteknux. Scoping flights to NYC in Feb is on my radar. If I make it, I’ll PM you. We’ll meet at the bar.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

https://artsfuse.org/260534/rock-concer ... pretation/

Rock Concert Review: Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe — The Rewards and Hazards of Reinterpretation
Age certainly wasn’t an issue in terms of energy. Elvis Costello played for a solid two hours with barely a break, running through four decades of music with a heavy emphasis on the old favorites.

Forty-five years after his commercial debut with his album My Aim Is True, Elvis Costello has compiled one of the great rock-pop catalogs. Songs like “Watching the Detectives” and “Alison” are instantly recognizable, classics of the genre. And, thus, it’s understandable that the artist (born Declan MacManus) might want to play around (more so, even, than he did in 1986’s wonderful “Spinning Wheel” tour, where songs were chosen at random). On Monday night at the Leader Bank Pavilion, he did just that – on the heels of a new album, A Boy Named If, with decidedly mixed results.

There were other factors on Monday, as the almost-68-year-old took the stage: for starters, the condition of his voice, which has been taxed by both age and cancer treatments. To my ears, Costello’s main instrument has recovered somewhat since his last tour. The singer displays greater range and even some of his falsetto has returned. Unfortunately, that was undercut by intonation issues severe enough that this listener wondered if the stage sound was inaudible.

Age certainly wasn’t an issue in terms of energy. Costello played for a solid two hours with barely a break, running through four decades of music with a heavy emphasis on the old favorites. Kicking off with “Accidents Will Happen,” he waded through the often muddy mix, calling out keyboardist Steve Nieve (who finally surfaced from the muck with some notable solos). More to the point was the question of his artistic interpretation, which often worked – though it sometimes made the extended set drag. For example, a slight reworking of “Watching the Detectives” maintained the tune’s dark and brooding tone, stretching out the stinger via a half-rapped extended story about a film noir. It was perfectly in keeping with the original song, but a bit long. “Mystery Dance,” of the same era, was worked into more of a rave-up. The result was that the sharp, fast song grew a bit mushy, losing its sarcastic edge.

The set began to turn around with one of the new numbers, “Penelope Halfpenny.” Introducing it as a remembrance of a teacher who showed the young Declan the possibility of a larger, freer world, the upbeat rocker was likewise a breath of fresh air. When opener Nick Lowe joined Costello for his own “(What’s So Funny) About Peace, Love and Understanding,” the re-energized vibe continued, although as the two traded verses it was nearly impossible not to hear the contrast between Lowe’s on-key singing and Costello’s, which was often not.

The final portion of the night showcased another contrast – one in approach. For, although an artist has the right to interpret his or her older material, he or she should also learn to trust those songs. Closing the show, Costello seemed at last to do just that, ripping through a set’s worth of tunes pretty much as they were originally released. Exceptions were made for older voices and for changes in personnel, such as the addition of Austin, Texas (and Dylan regular) guitarist Charlie Sexton, who threw in the occasional country-tinged flourish. Starting with “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” and working through “Pump It Up” and “Radio, Radio,” Costello was on fire. This wasn’t the nostalgia part of the evening – the new “Magnificent Hurt” fit in beautifully, with its sardonic wail, as did “Farewell, OK.” By the time Costello began closing things down with “Alison,” from whose lyrics the title of his debut album was cribbed, the artist and the art seemed in sync again — if not always perfectly in tune.

Opening with a too-short set, the always courtly Nick Lowe loped through much of his own considerable catalog, showcasing the country side of tunes like “And So It Goes” and “Raging Eyes.” Backed by Los Straitjackets (who highlighted their own mini-set with “My Heart Must Go On” from Titanic), he even found a Tejano take on “Half a Boy and Half a Man.” This was reinterpretation done subtly, and it worked.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
sweetest punch
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters, Boston, MA, Leader Bank Pavilion , August 15th, 2022

Post by sweetest punch »

https://rockandrollglobe.com/uncategori ... to-boston/

Elvis Costello: The Boy Comes Back To Boston
The New Wave legend is on tour with longtime cohort Nick Lowe through August

Elvis Costello started his Aug. 15th show at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion with “Accidents Will Happen,” and its prescient opening line, “Oh, I just don’t know where to begin …”

He’s often done that in concert and, in fact, it’s been his standard opener on this tour with The Imposters, called The Boy Named If and Other Favourites.

Sometimes, in writing about Costello – and there’s a load of stuff to pack in these days – I don’t know where to begin either, and I’ve been doing this 40+ years. But this time, I do.

I’m going to start at the end, which, in another way, is also the beginning. The final song of the two-hour-five-minute show, of course, was “Alison,” the not-as-sweet-as-it-seems ballad that “broke” him in America. (Broke, in a manner of speaking.) I first saw Costello at Boston’s Orpheum Theater, spring of 1978, but I didn’t see earlier gigs at the smaller Paradise Theater, Dec 9 and 10 the previous year, when EC was fresh off the boat (or plane, as it were).

He had two albums to draw upon, My Aim Is True and This Year’s Model, and before playing “Alison” at the Pavilion, he joked about the Paradise gigs, “We only had about 30 minutes and we wanted to get down to 22.” (Not quite true, history tells us The Attractions played about 40 minutes, but point made.) Then, he explained they didn’t play “Alison” (this is true) because “It made it too easy for you to like us.” (Laughter, probably true.) He added, also, “We didn’t have enough fingers to play it,” and on this night guest Imposter, former Dylan guitarist Charlie Sexton, deftly handled the intro.

Those were the days of the angry, young Elvis – all slam-bam songs, no chitter-chatter. It may have been a pose, probably was – he once told me Sean Penn learned his petulant act from him – but it worked. The anger-revenge-guilt-resentment super-pack of motivation filled the songs and transferred to the presentation of the music. (Certainly, it was still the case at the 55-minute gig I saw later at the Orpheum – he had the sound guys turn up the feedback at them

end of the set to drive us out of the hall before we could even think “encore.”) Those of us who go back that far with Costello have those memories seared into our brains.

But for some time now – decades really – we’ve been seeing the uber-generous, loquacious raconteur that the more mature singer-songwriter-guitarist has become. He is every bit The Entertainer.

Which (finally) brings us back to this year’s Elvis. The Imposters are two-thirds of The Attractions – ace keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas – plus bassist/double bassist Davy Faragher (and now Sexton).

But before we go too much further, a semi-self-correction: I said the show opened with “Accidents” – and that was the live kickoff – though what preceded it (on tape) was “Surrender to the Rhythm,” a song written by Lowe and covered by Costello and childhood pal-musician Allan Mayes, when they played out as a group called Rusty as teens. It was recently put on record by Costello and Mayes on an EP called The Resurrection of Rusty. He didn’t play anything from it, but it’s worth noting, this soft opening with implicit currency.

The only thing that was really indulgent here – and only in a manner of speaking really – is how he structured the middle portion of the set, playing newer and/or less familiar material and/or radically revamped older songs. It came when he brought out singer Nicole Atkins to share the spotlight and join him for “I’ll Wear It Proudly,” “My Most Beautiful Mistake,” “Still Too Soon To Know,” “You Belong to Me,” “Penelope Halfpenny” and “What If I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”

Four of these came from the latest LP, The Boy Named If, and, although I concur with the critical consensus that it’s likely Costello’s best, most rocking record since Blood and Chocolate, it’s not A-level or, frankly, overly familiar to most El fans (including me). This period was, yes, the stretch where people sat down or got up and wandered the concourse, grabbed a drink, took a leak or what have you.

But – let’s face it – we like the idea that Costello’s not completely rooted in past glory, that the art of songwriting continues to infuse the job of performance. Kinda like Neil Young. So, we can grumble a bit about song selection – I won’t but I could – and wish a few of those Costello-Atkins songs had been excised. But that so-so bit on the midsection is not the take I want to stick with you. What I want to stress is that 10 days away from his 68th birthday, Elvis Costello remains a force to be reckoned with in concert, still maybe the Dylan of the punk/new wave generation – Dylan-esque in his re-arranging material – like “Mystery Dance,” “You Belong To Me” and “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea”) – continuing to turn out scads of new music (whatever the demand no matter that few people buy music) and even nicking Sexton to play guitar. He does, though, speak about a zillion more words to the crowd than ol’ Bob.

The best re-tooling was “Watching the Detectives,” still the best piece of new wave noir in my book, which oozed and stretched and curdled, with Elvis injecting parts of “Invisible Lady” into it. The line “She’s filing her nails while they’re dragging the lake” is just killer and the song’s still something of a mystery to me in that I think it’s about that girl watching all this drama play out on a TV movie, not being a participant in the “daughter’s disappearance.” Costello pretty much spoke-sang that during the song – “I was just a boy watching a late-night movie.”

I also liked his introductory exposition before “Penelope Halfpenny,” about growing up Catholic and wondering how this Confession thing could wash all that original sin off his soul. (Boy, he’s not alone in that!) There were various mortal sins he knew he couldn’t have committed as a child – he checked off the list – but he had to confess something and decided upon adultery. “I didn’t know what it was, but it sounded like it was fun.”

“Green Shirt” was an early highlight – extended, and not as tightly coiled perhaps as it once was with Nieve’s organ rushing all over it, but still very impactful. It remains a clever exploration of how TV news boils everything down the black and white, while the guy watching TV – Elvis – kind of yearns for that teasing, flirting female newsreader.

Lowe – who agreeably opened the night with the backing of the masked Los Straitjackets – joined Costello for “Indoor Fireworks” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.” That song has quite a history: An obscure album track on a Brinsley Schwarz album (Lowe’s ‘70s pub rock band), heard sincerely (if at all) during the end of the hippie era, and then somewhat ironically or even sarcastically when Costello picked up on it and popularized it during the punk era. (Maybe that was just because Costello belted it out and no one thought this was a sentiment he might share without snark. Coulda been our fault.) At any rate, the pendulum has fully shifted back toward sincerity for some time now – it’s all about unity! – in either Lowe or Costello’s hands, and the two joined forces to sing that two-thirds of the way through Costello’s set.

We knew it was ramp-up time when Costello and company roared into “Pump It Up,” “Radio, Radio” (a bit in Spanish, remember last year’s Spanish Model LP?) and “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes.” (An aside on “Radio, Radio” – still the most vicious radio song ever, albeit the context of terrestrial radio’s importance has changed so much over time. It’s more nostalgia now than blows-against-the-empire. Still, I like recalling those days when FM radio was our frenemy.)

The mind-blower of the set was “I Want You,” a 6:45 high point of Blood & Chocolate back in 1986, reworked into a 12-minute plus stunner of whisper-to-a-scream dynamics – want and need and desire all tangled up and busted open with dual electric lead guitar from Costello and Sexton. Ups, downs and turnarounds. Breathless.

As noted, “Alison” closed the show. A reminder: This is a nasty-ass song that sounds like it isn’t. But consider: “Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking/When I hear the silly things that you say/I think somebody better put out the big light/’Cause I can’t stand to see you this way.”

Put out the big light? He’s talking about killing her, folks! Look back on it all these years – think of all the daughters named Alison in the late ‘70s and ‘80s because of this, think of the sentimental whoosh the song still brings – and you gotta hand it to young El. It may have been the song he didn’t wanna play way back when because it made it too easy for us to like him, but if you listen to it, he wasn’t pulling punches. Didn’t then, doesn’t now.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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