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We didn't get the highest-grossing tour of 2002. But who needs Paul McCartney when you've got his greatest writing partner since the '60s? If Elvis is King, as the legendary cover of his debut album noted, then the King is very much alive. In fact, he hasn't aged a bit (unless you count the hairline, which we'd rather that you didn't).
1. Elvis Costello & The Imposters
A.J. Palumbo Theatre, Oct 19
The more explosive moments of his first appearance here since 1989 could have passed for a concert from '79, as Costello and two Attractions blew the dust off an entire shelf of early gems. But this was no nostalgia tour. Before he'd closed the second encore with a menacing version of "I Want You" (still his finest hour), he'd led the band through no fewer than six selections from When I Was Cruel, his most inspired effort in more than a decade, and treated the fans to his own version of "The Judgment," a new soul classic he recently gave to soul legend Solomon Burke. The setlist veered from savage rock 'n' roll abandon to ballads, from country to soul, from anger to remorse and back again. I can't imagine any Hall of Famer turning in a more inspired, energetic set with that much new material after 25 years in the business.
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