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It's said that the mark of a great song is if it can be played on one or two instruments and still stand up. The lord knows Elvis Costello has written more than his share of immortal tunes and as a lyricist he simply has few if any equals. The concept of this current jaunt is straightforward enough; Elvis and long-time cohort and keyboard genius Mr Steve Nieve — "We've been on the stage for 45 years" — dip into that enviable songbook and frankly it doesn't really matter what they pick out because they're all great songs.
Opening with King Of America's "Jack of All Parades" and then Armed Forces' "Accidents Will Happen," Costello's voice takes a bit of time to warm up, singing into an old 1940s radio-style microphone while Nieve throws classical shapes behind him. Costello then tells a story about embarrassing himself while buying a piano before "Shot With His Own Gun" from 1981's Trust, with Nieve moving from strident chords to a rolling solo and almost managing pizzicato on a keyboard in between. If Costello doesn't whisper a daily silent prayer of thanks for meeting this man all those years ago then he should.
If the voice isn't quite responding the way he might like, it's still a thing of wonder, and he's certainly not letting it off easy. "Toledo," the first of a few of his collaborations with Burt Bacharach tonight, puts it through its paces over plucked acoustic. These are difficult songs to sing but the beautiful tremolo he has — equalled only amongst his contemporaries by Chrissie Hynde — breaks through.
"Veronica" — "I wrote this song with Paul McCartney, that's not something I ever thought I'd say" — is rearranged to sound like Bob Dylan around 1964 — think "All I Really Want To Do" — and shorn of its ornate let's-make-a-hit arrangement it is beautiful, although it was always gorgeous anyway.
"Watching The Detectives" really gets jaws dropping. The two men transform the National Concert Hall into a noir film set with cacophonous car crashes of guitar mixed with keyboard effects before Nieve gets a monster melodica out. The whole thing drifts into a Massive Attack/Lee Perry dub while Elvis uses echoes of his own voice to further cinematic effect, staying on the same chord as they go into the chorus to further add to the Orson-Welles-in-the-Viennese-shadows atmosphere.
"It's been a real pleasure, hope it's not long until we're back again," Costello declares as we near the end. Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," which Costello made his own years ago, even has Nieve singing. Costello grins with pride at his old mate as they locate the sweet harmony the song was searching for and he delights in such unlikely "noise and rowdiness" in the National Concert Hall.
They've got to go but not before "Alison" closes the show. The crowd, who had sat in hushed reverence throughout, awed by what they were receiving, are on their feet, singing along to yet another jewel in Costello's treasure chest. He takes the applause, he folds up his guitar, he puts on his hat, and he walks off.
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