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So, on Sunday evening Elvis Costello played Munich to a surprisingly good capacity crowd. He was in good spirits and in excellent voice. The set, like all the others I've heard about so far, was around 2 hours 20 mins and entertaining from the word go. I wasn't sure about a full evening of just Elvis and Steve, but when they got on stage it was magic.
Elvis seems to have more stage presence than with the Attractions and can command the audience as he wishes. He was also very talkative between the songs, and at one point asked if we were such a jovial lot because Bayern Munich had just won the league a few hours earlier.
Steve was very buoyant in his playing and sometimes attacked the piano so vigorously that it sounded like he had missed the keys and rapped his fingers on the edge. Ron Sexsmith opened as planned and did a nice half set which was ignored by most of the crowd, but at least they stayed quiet so that those who wanted to listen could enjoy him.
Mercury had put me on the guest list for the show, but because the hall is rather private there was nowhere backstage suitable for a meet and greet-type gathering. We chatted to the promoter who said that he'd tell Elvis that a bunch of us were waiting to meet him and after the usual 20-minute wait he came out into the driveway by the side of the hall and greeted us, signed stuff and answered questions. The news that we managed to get from him was that they will play some dates in Paris in the summer and he confirmed that he has been working on and off on a musical.
I managed to get Steve's setlist after the show and rather than simply list what they played I'll include the whole of what was written on the piece of paper. The reason is that includes some interesting songs that weren't played, but could well be included in future performances — hence the big spoiler alert with what follows. I've marked with capital letters what songs were actually played:
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S P O I L E R A L E R T
Munich, 9-May-99:
TEMPTATION / Man Out Of Time
New Lace Sleeves / ACCIDENTS
TALKING IN THE DARK
AMERICAN W/O TEARS #2 / Brilliant Mistake
TOLEDO
WHAT'S HER NAME TODAY / Such Unlikely Lovers
CHELSEA / EVERYDAY I WRITE THE BOOK / Blue Chair
BABY PLAYS AROUND / Still Too Soon To Know
Girls Talk / Rocking Horse Road
YOU LIE SWEETLY
(late addition to the setlist, written on the
side of the sheet: Little Palaces / All The Rage)
PAINTED FROM MEMORY / THIS HOUSE
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PADS - INDOOR F - New Am. /
RADIO SWEETHEART <-- EC solo part
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GOD'S COMIC
ALL THIS USELESS BEAUTY
DEEP DARK T.M. / Suit Of Lights
ALISON / DARKEST PLACE
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INCH BY INCH / SHALLOW GRAVE / DETECTIVES
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Birds Will Still / Peace Love & Understanding /
I WANT YOU
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THAT OTHER GIRL
GOD GIVE ME STRENGTH
COULDN'T CALL IT UNEXP. #4
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Shame that we didn't get "Little Palaces" or "Suit Of Lights," but I'm over the moon that he did "American Without Tears" and "Everyday I Write The Book." After the show I asked Ron about whether he and Elvis had ever done a duet on "Everyday" and he said that he had suggested it, but while their respective versions are a bit different Elvis thought it best not to. (I've just heard that they did in fact duet on this in Berlin).
(PS: I somehow knew that there wouldn't be much time to chat with Elvis yesterday, and when the time came all sensible questions would magically disappear from my mind, so I wrote them all down and handed him a hand written four-page letter. Whether or not he'll bother to read it I don't know, and I'm sure he won't reply, but who knows?)
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