New London Day, November 5, 1986: Difference between revisions
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There was also a ‘60s relic: a go-go dancer’s cage, into which the volunteers – variously chagrined, elated or nonplussed – were ushered for the duration of the song. On a nearby table, a portable television was tuned to the ABC network’s prime-time lineup; this is the only concert I’ve ever attended where the star admonished the audience to “stop watching ‘Moonlighting’ and pay attention to the music.” | There was also a ‘60s relic: a go-go dancer’s cage, into which the volunteers – variously chagrined, elated or nonplussed – were ushered for the duration of the song. On a nearby table, a portable television was tuned to the ABC network’s prime-time lineup; this is the only concert I’ve ever attended where the star admonished the audience to “stop watching ‘Moonlighting’ and pay attention to the music.” | ||
On Wednesday, the gimmicks were gone: Costello and the Attractions roared through a long set of songs that surveyed his career, with special emphasis on his new album, “''Blood and Chocolate''” (Columbia), Costello’s finest – his best-written, most emotional – record since “''Get Happy!!''” (1980). In the liner notes, the authorship of all “''Blood and Chocolate''” songs is ascribed to Napoleon Dynamite. See what I mean about complicated? | On [[Concert 1986-10-29 Upper Darby|Wednesday]], the gimmicks were gone: Costello and the Attractions roared through a long set of songs that surveyed his career, with special emphasis on his new album, “''Blood and Chocolate''” (Columbia), Costello’s finest – his best-written, most emotional – record since “''Get Happy!!''” (1980). In the liner notes, the authorship of all “''Blood and Chocolate''” songs is ascribed to Napoleon Dynamite. See what I mean about complicated? | ||
Across town, Bob Seger was at the Spectrum riffling through the Raymond Chandler songbook, making hard-boiled romanticism sound rosy to the masses. At the Tower, Costello was busy making the same quality truly intimidating. | Across town, Bob Seger was at the Spectrum riffling through the Raymond Chandler songbook, making hard-boiled romanticism sound rosy to the masses. At the Tower, Costello was busy making the same quality truly intimidating. | ||
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Alternately hostile, confiding, sarcastic, resentful and avuncular, Costello keeps his fans on their toes and tries their patience. Certainly, many people will remember the days in the late ‘70s when it was not uncommon for Costello to tell his audience to shut up, or for him to stomp off the stage after a half-hour, steaming over some slight that no one could fathom. | Alternately hostile, confiding, sarcastic, resentful and avuncular, Costello keeps his fans on their toes and tries their patience. Certainly, many people will remember the days in the late ‘70s when it was not uncommon for Costello to tell his audience to shut up, or for him to stomp off the stage after a half-hour, steaming over some slight that no one could fathom. | ||
During recent interviews, Costello has ascribed some of his behaviour to the impetuosity of youth. After all he was only 21, poor – and furious about it – when he first came to prominence. That was source of his initial appeal. In the late ‘70s, Costello hated the big business that rock music had become as much as many of us did. He was, more than anything else, a fan, or rather an idealized one, capable of stating his case with far more skill and precision than most fans can muster. | |||
That’s the big difference between Costello then and now: After years of resisting it, he has finally accepted the fact that he is more of a professional entertainer than a fan – he’s crossed the line. And while he’s still fond of indulging his fannishness (this is the obvious reason for the Spectacular Spinning Songbook – a way to make renewed contact with his followers, to feel their enthusiasm onstage with him), his professionalism has freed him to create his most ambitious work. | |||
Costello’s closing-night show with the Attractions offered exciting versions of longtime crowd-pleasers like “[[Accidents Will Happen]]” and “[[Green Shirt]]”. He folded a verse of the old Drifters hit “[[On Broadway]]” into his own “[[Clubland]]” so that we could hear where his song came from. | |||
The heart of this performance, however, was the riveting versions of “''Blood and Chocolate''” songs like “[[Blue Chair]]”, “[[Battered Old Bird]]” and the extraordinary “[[I Want You]],” in which Costello recasts [[the Beatles]]’ serene “I Want You” as a wracked sob over love betrayed. | |||
(“''Blood and Chocolate''” is, in fact, shot through with Beatles references – it can be heard, in particular, as Costello’s homage to [[John Lennon]], right down to the “I Am The Walrus”-like bridge in “[[Crimes Of Paris|Crimes of Paris]].”) | |||
Costello also sang a couple of new, unrecorded songs – as if his songbook weren’t already massive enough, with 12 albums released in the last 10 years. Costello providers the rock and roll example of A.J.Liebling’s famous newspaperman’s boast, “I’m faster than anyone better, and better than anyone faster.” One of these songs, whose title I heard as “[[Jack Of All Parades|Jack of All Parades]],” has a love-at-first-sight plot that might be telling the story of his courtship of [[Cait O'Riordan]], a member of the Irish band [[the Pogues]] and also Costello’s new second wife. | |||
It was O’Riordan, in fact, who helped to provide the high point of “Costello Sings Again.” After three nights of rough rock, earnest crooning and loony joking, the greatest moment was also the quietest. | |||
Preparing to sing, “Crimes of Paris,” Costello brought out O’Riordan, introducing her only as “my favorite person in the world,” a dead giveaway of a honeymooner in heaven. O’Riordan started out singing the lovely, swaying melody at a microphone a few feet away from Costello, but before the last verse came around, he motioned for her to join him. | |||
He strummed his guitar, she put an arm over his shoulder and as they sang into the microphone, their foreheads touched. After the last words were sung, they ended the song the only way it should have – with a quick kiss. I swear, the two girls sitting in front of me were wiping away happy tears, and I was a little misty myself. | |||
Wotta man. | |||
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{{Bibliography notes header}} | {{Bibliography notes header}} | ||
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'''The Day, November 5, 1986 | '''The Day, November 5, 1986 | ||
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[[Ken Tucker]] profiles Elvis Costello. | [[Ken Tucker]] profiles Elvis Costello and reviews EC and The Attractions on [[Concert 1986-10-29 Upper Darby|Wednesday, October 29, 1986]] at The Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA. | ||
{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
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[[Category:New London Day| New London Day 1986-11-05]] | [[Category:New London Day| New London Day 1986-11-05]] | ||
[[Category:Newspaper articles]] | [[Category:Newspaper articles]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Concert reviews]] | ||
[[Category:1986 concert reviews]] |
Revision as of 17:10, 10 September 2015
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