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The Syracuse concert scene heats up considerably tonight as the Armed Funk Tour, starring Elvis Costello and the Attractions, barrels into town for a visit.
The fiery British performer takes the stage at the Landmark Theatre for the second time within a year at 8 p.m. The Rubinoos, a California pop band, will open the show. Doors open at 7 p.m. and general admission tickets are still available.
Costello, the most successful artist — both financially and critically — to emerge from the New Wave scene, is one of the most prolific songwriters in rock music today. He has released over three dozen tunes on three albums since his emergence in the fall of 1977.
Tour reports indicate Costello is relying heavily on material from Armed Forces, his latest and most successful album. The album represents a turn to commercial accessibility for Costello, yet sacrifices none of the lyrical bite that characterized his first two efforts.
Costello will probably play selections from My Aim Is True, his debut album, such as "Alison," a bitter ballad of lost love, and the reggae-tinged "Watching the Detectives."
My Aim Is True, reportedly recorded in less than a week, garnered unusually large sales figures for an import record before being released officially in America.
With the release of his second album, This Year's Model, Costello continued to be a favorite of music critics. Many called the record the best of 1978.
Elvis had a hit single, "Pump it Up," in England from this album, but couldn't match the commercial success in America, Though This Year's Model entered the top thirty and Armed Forces recently hit the top ten on the American charts, Elvis has yet to have a hit single, which may be a mark of distinction in this disco-crazed world.
Costello appeared at Landmark last April as part of a tour to support This Year's Model, delivering a non-stop onslaught of rock and roll to an appreciative audience.
The Attractions, Costello's backup band for the past year and a half, consists of keyboard player Steve Naive, bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas.
If nothing else, the unpredictable Elvis and the Attractions should provide an interesting show. In addition to a fast and furious offering of rock and roll, Costello has been known to regale concert-goers with a lengthy set of country music.
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