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Elvis Costello achieved the near impossible last night, turning the normally staid St David's Hall into something approaching a smoky backroom bar.
Intimacy was the keynote of the marathon two-and-a-half hour concert. "The seats are boring!" yelled one fan, to which came the terse reply: "Well, rip them out then."
Fortunately it didn't come to that, but Costello's relaxed and easy banter soon brought the audience rushing eagerly to the front of the stage, even if he did have to jump down himself from the stage and show how it was done.
His direct confident approach was mirrored in the music, at its most effective when the band trooped of and left just Costello with a spotlight and a guitar.
This focused attention on the lyrics and his remarkably clear voice, enabling poignant songs like "Shipbuilding" and "I Want You" to convey immense personal feeling, which left both him and us in the audience feeling exposed and emotionally drained.
Some of the mushier Country and Western numbers were drab and meandering, while the occasional rock workout did little to excite me.
But Costello has become a master entertainer, thankfully steering clear of the usual greatest hits routine, preferring instead to create a coherent show — although you won't find him on Broadway yet.
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