Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

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Jeremy Dylan
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Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Jeremy Dylan »

http://chuggentertainment.com/tour/524/Elvis+Costello

Australia continues its lengthy love affair when Elvis Costello as the acclaimed singer-songwriter returns to Australia in April 2014 bringing with him The Imposters. Costello for a long time has been a favoured son of Australia having toured here around dozen times since the late 70’s.

Costello’s will play just two headline shows in Adelaide on Thursday 17th April at the Thebarton Theatre and Sydney’s State Theatre on Wednesday 23rd April. These shows run alongside his already announced festival appearances at Deni Blues & Roots in Deniliquin and Byron Bay’s Bluesfest.

ELVIS COSTELLO has followed his musical curiosity in a career spanning almost four decades with a back catalogue of over 40 albums covering nearly every genre of music. He is probably best known for his performances with The Attractions, The Imposters and his solo shows with pianist Steve Nieve. More recently he gate crashed his own horizons by collaborating with The Roots, producing Wise Up Ghost, one of this year's finest musical offerings.

Elvis and The Imposters (Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher) will present an incredible night of entertainment taking audiences through the Costello musical encyclopedia refresher course with a selection of songs from the past, present and future.

TICKETS FOR HEADLINE SHOWS GO ON SALE THURSDAY 28TH NOVEMBER, 9am
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Man out of Time »

Preview:
http://www.noise11.com/news/elvis-coste ... s-20131117

Elvis Costello Adds Sydney and Adelaide Dates

by Paul Cashmere on November 17, 2013


Elvis Costello and the Imposters will perform in Sydney and Adelaide as well as their Deni Blues & Roots and Bluesfest shows.

While Sydney and Adelaide have been added as sideshows, Costello will not perform in Melbourne on this tour because of the Deni Blues & Roots appearance in Deniliquin, three hours from Melbourne.

Costello will once again tour Australia with his band The Imposters featuring Steve Nieve and Peter Thomas of The Attractions and Davey Farragher. He was last in Australia earlier this year with the Imposters for A Day On The Green.

Dates for Elvis Costello and the Imposters are:

April 17, Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
April 23, Sydney, State Theatre

Elvis Costello & The Imposters will also perform at Deni Blues & Roots and Bluesfest at Easter."

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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by thepopeofpop »

I've got 4 seats in Row J, so far...
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by johnfoyle »

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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by johnfoyle »

The photo is by, I reckon, Danny Clinch , going by similar clobber and backdrop in other photos he took last summer.
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by thepopeofpop »

First three songs:

Accidents Will Happen
Brilliant Mistake
Possession

Elvis in fine voice. I think I prefer the Imposter's version of "Come the Meantimes" by far ... and I lean towards their version of "Viceroy's Row" as well.

Image

Image

(pictures by me)
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by bronxapostle »

NO COMPLETE SETLIST POPE???
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Arbogast »

Does NOBODY in Australia write down setlists????
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by And No Coffee Table »

Elvis Costello & The Imposters review: on the field but just off their game
Reviewed by Bernard Zuel

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The morning after this concert I was watching Bayern Munich and Real Madrid play in the European Champions League (Sleep? It's for wimps!) and the two cultural events began to merge.

Bayern, all but invincible in all competitions the past two years, boasting some of the best players and the best coach, had it all over Madrid in stats like possession and shots but never really convinced they were going to win. They seemed just enough off their game to nullify their natural advantages and bring them back to the pack.

Elvis Costello and the Imposters have a roster of songs regular artists would pay a Chelsea-level transfer fee to have for a game, let alone a season. In drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher, there's a business-time backline that handles everything perfectly and never asks to be noticed; in Steve Nieve there is a number 10 who can and does regularly make magic, lighting up the State brilliantly several times this night; and Costello, playing some tasty lead guitar on this tour, is both Pep Guardiola in the creative planning and, on his day, a supreme goal poacher.

So why did this show always feel nearly but not quite there? Fractionally not enough to make it a bad show, still better than most but, still, off the mark.

Some of it was tempo, as many songs (King Of America second song in, (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea midway and Sugar Won't Work near the end, to name but three) felt about half a beat slower than appropriate. Some of it was sonic impact, with any punch slowed by volume and depth of sound that was maybe a quarter of a turn too low on the console.

Some of it was a not-always-convincing integration of newer songs from the album he made with the Roots last year, such as Come The Meantimes and Viceroy's Row.

And some of it was Costello's voice faltering at times, such as in the vulnerable early stages of Alison, Shipbuilding and Suit of Lights, and at other times seeming distracted or not wholly engaged, as in Accidents Will Happen.

All of that, the last point maybe more so, contributed to the Imposters playing well individually but not always wholly together. Making the passes but not penetrating, if you will.

You wouldn't complain about getting Stations Of The Cross and Jesse Winchester's Quiet About It at a show. There was, as ever, fun to be had with (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding. And I Want You had just the right feeling. Like I said, it's a roster to be admired. But in the end they were like Bayern: the work was being done but the extra class they possess, the finishing, was lacking.




This review inspired a Twitter feud between The Imposter and the reviewer.
@ImposterSpeaks wrote:All the footballing insight of David Moyes #sticktoaussierules #YNWA @smhentnews @BernardZuel
@BernardZuel wrote:@ImposterSpeaks @smhentnews I think you mean stick to rugby league
@ImposterSpeaks wrote:Both smug and incompetent. Perhaps get more sleep. ‪@BernardZuel‬ ‪@smhentnews‬
@BernardZuel wrote:‪@ImposterSpeaks‬ ‪@smhentnews‬ Thankyou for your concern. Cheers.
@ImposterSpeaks wrote:‪timetohangupyourboots‬@BernardZuel ‪@smhentnews‬
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by thepopeofpop »

Someone wrote down the set list. Just not me. I used to record shows ... Just prefer to sit back and enjoy these days.

He closed the first set with I Want You and closed the show with Peace Love and Understanding.
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by thepopeofpop »

And there was a standing ovation at the end of the show, so I'm not sure what the reviewer was smoking...
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by bronxapostle »

Arbogast wrote:Does NOBODY in Australia write down setlists????
NO PENS!!!!!!! :lol: :lol:
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Kim_Lianne »

I started to keep a setlist, but got up and hit the moshpit after 45, so this is nowhere near complete and not in order. But do remember:

Accidents Will Happen
Brilliant Mistake
Possession
45
Alison
I Want You
Stations of the Cross
Ascension Day
(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea
Watching the Detectives
Good Year for the Roses
Every Day I Write the Book
Oliver's Army
Shipbuilding
(What's so funny 'bout) Peace, Love & Understanding
Quiet About It

My fudge-for-brain is now struggling to recall the rest ...

Interesting summary from previous poster about the general mood of the gig. Friends sitting further back in the stalls had the same odd feeling of slight disappointment. Standing down the front under EC's nose was a very different experience, but it seems to me he actually played to the "first 10 rows" and not to the whole room. Was certainly an odd song order and didn't reflect ECs usual knack for building/shifting pace and mood. He didn't "phone in" the performance for those of us standing close enough to catch the facial expressions and watch the guitar work, but that doesn't help the rest of the crowd not privileged enough to be in such intimate proximity to pick up the nuances. I'm convinced those of us "close in" got a lot more out of this gig than those unable to reach the front when EC beckoned us forward.
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by E*C*RIDER »

[quote="Kim_Lianne"]

Accidents Will Happen
Brilliant Mistake
Possession
45
Alison
I Want You
Stations of the Cross
Ascension Day
(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea
Watching the Detectives
Good Year for the Roses
Every Day I Write the Book
Oliver's Army
Shipbuilding
(What's so funny 'bout) Peace, Love & Understanding
Quiet About It

...& add in the mix

suit of lights
watch your step
walk us uptown
viceroy's row
come the meantimes
cinco minutos con vos
blame it on cain
pay day

Um, the Bernard Zuel review is fair. This was a patchy show. At times wonderful... 'Ascension Day', which was a stunning band rendition, quite the closest we got to those old 'drop dead' moments you can treasure from a Costello show - and at other times woeful... 'Shipbuilding', with Elvis stalking about the stage clutching a crappy radio mic completely blowing the any nuance in the lyric. I'm always glad of an opportunity to see EC but, phew, he can do better than this!
"...i feel almost possessed,
so long as i don't lose this glorious distress..."
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by verbal gymnastics »

It's interesting that Elvis feels the need to get involved in a Twitter spat. It comes across as unnecessarily petty and the reviewer is entitled to his opinion. Maybe the sound from where he was wasn't quite there or he was expecting more. I've seen Elvis when he's not on top form...

What comes across as odd though is saying that the Imposters played well individually but not as a group. That seems one thing they could not be accused of. They are tight, cohesive and able to improvise better than any band I've ever seen.
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Man out of Time »

I cannot comment on how fair Bernard Zuel's review was, not having seen the show. What i do know is that Zuel is a fan who has been reviewing Elvis' albums and shows for at least ten years so is better placed than many critics to judge a poor performance. You can read some of his previous (generally positive) reviews in the ever expanding Bibliography section of the Wiki here:

http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... rnard_Zuel

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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Kim_Lianne »

Some photos from the Sydney performance.
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Kim_Lianne »

And three more.
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MOJO
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by MOJO »

Such petty banter in the land down under. The set list looks amazing. Where are the YouTube links? Hello, 2014!!!
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Kim_Lianne »

Well, if you ask nicely MOJO, you can see my Oliver's Army at http://youtu.be/WT44BzDSduI

Not the best song of the night, but the one I grabbed (was concentrating more on photos - oh, and the music!)
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by And No Coffee Table »

Elvis Costello & The Imposters State Theatre Sydney 23 April 2014

At the risk of sounding like some been there, done that, got the t-shirt, wrote the book, waiting to star in the movie type, I have to say that the most interesting aspect of the fifth Costello and The Imposters concert I've caught since early December came before and after the actual concert.

That says more about Hughesy and the circumstances in which I live than it does about Costello but it says a fair bit about the man as well as quite a lot about the way popular music has morphed over the past fifty years.

All of which is interesting, at least from where I'm sitting.

Actually, sitting is a key factor in the experience this time around, since Elvis had a significant section of the crowd up, out of their seats and down in front of the stage very early in the piece. It was fairly obvious he was playing to, and feeding off the enthusiasm of, those right under his nose, which might affect your perception if you were one of those disinclined to stand who happened to have a seat towards the front of the stalls.

That was me, more or less, but the occupants of the seats at the end of Row L had headed for the front so it was easy enough to move to the side for an uninterrupted view of proceedings.

So you might have been underwhelmed if you weren't down towards the front, and you may well have been underwhelmed by a show that was slightly shorter (twenty-five numbers, as opposed to thirty-plus from the recent Spinning Songbook shows in Japan) than others you've experienced, or by a set list that was light on for a few of the usual suspects that seemed to be automatic inclusions in the Spinning Songbook roster, or by what you might see as a relative dearth of obscurities, or...

But you pays your money and you takes your chance, as the saying goes, and while what you'll get isn't always totally, like stellar, man, you won't get a performance that's phoned in, either. It all comes down to the interaction between expectation and on the night, doesn't it?

Cast an eye down the set list and you'll note a significant (five out of twenty-five) presence of Wise Up Ghost material, which might interact with some of those absences noted previously, but it is the current album, even if it isn't the current album by this band. What is interesting, as it has been since the first of the Spinning Songbook shows in Japan is how well those songs work with The Imposters rather than The Roots. Despite the fuss about Wise Up Ghost it wasn't quite the departure from previous form that some people painted it to be. I'll point The Dubious Reader towards When I Was Cruel and Cruel Smile and rest my case.

No, a good two hours, an interesting set list that didn't seem to hold too many surprises and a performance that was as committed as he almost invariably is. That almost invariably is based on eight experiences, none of which went anywhere near obviously phoned in.

And you expect a bit of variation when you're looking at an act that isn't pre-programmed. Compare a Costello show, any Costello show, to, say Leonard Cohen, who I've seen deliver close to the exact same show live (three years apart, and substantially the same as the Live in London DVD) and you know you're going to get variation. The question is how much is delivered, and how much you expect.

Consulting my Costello show song matrix (eight shows, 116 items) there were a couple of songs I hadn't encountered live before (Watch Your Step, Stations of the Cross, Blame it On Cain) as well as the heartfelt Jesse Winchester tribute (Quiet About It, Payday) and another seven that I'd only encountered twice, so I walked out a very contented punter, thank you very much.

But when it comes to looking back on the evening the rendezvous with The Pope of Pop and the early-twenties Popelet Twins will figure large in the memories. I've run across Popey before each of the three shows I've caught in Sydney, and a couple of pre-show beers at The Marble Bar isn't quite a ritual but could definitely head that way.

They've changed the backstage access arrangements at the State Theatre, which has effectively put the kibosh on Costello stalking activities and affected the post-show discussion, but what we had, with Hughesy, Popey and Papal offspring gathered around a table in what my learned colleague has described as sort of like the Vatican in pub form was an interesting mix of musical generations.

I go back to the halcyon days of the mid- to late-sixties. Popey doesn't quite go back that far but had older siblings with similar musical interests who did (from what I can gather) and seems to have been fairly thorough in giving his offspring an interesting musical experience along the way. They were eight or nine when they got their first dose of live Elvis, and obviously don't mind fronting up for more.

I don't get to hang out with too many folks with similar musical interests, and when I do they tend to be people from more or less the same generation, so the presence of a couple of well-informed and appreciative youngsters is bound to be something memorable.

Particularly if they're sufficiently well-informed (or polite enough, take your pick) to agree that an Easybeats/Purple Hearts tour of North Queensland would have been an interesting experience and one you'd regret having missed.

It contrasted nicely with the demographic profile at the Dr John/Aaron Neville show the following night, where a youngish couple who might have been in their mid-twenties walking down the aisle towards their seats would have reduced the average age in the audience by about half a day.

All of which explains that first paragraph, dunnit?

Accidents Will Happen
Brilliant Mistake
Possession
45
Everyday I Write the Book
Watch Your Step
Stations of the Cross
Ascension Day
Viceroys Row
Suit of Lights
Good Year for the Roses
Blame it On Cain
Come the Meantimes
Watching the Detectives
Walk Us Uptown
I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea
I Want You

Encore:
Quiet About It
Payday
Shipbuilding
Cinco Minutos Con Vos
Oliver's Army
Sugar Won't Work
Alison
What's So Funny About Peace, Love & Understanding
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Man out of Time »

A more positive review by Steve Moffatt in The Telegraph

Concert review: Elvis Costello and The Imposters go through the past darkly

"Elvis Costello has been singing the Nick Lowe classic (What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding for five decades now and when he gave it the thrash treatment at the State Theatre on Wednesday night his fans lapped it up.

Its refrain ``Where are the strong, and who are the trusted? Where is the harmony? Sweet harmony’’ is as relevant today as it was when Brinsley Schwarz first recorded it exactly 40 years ago.

In fact most of Costello’s material for his two-hour set with The Imposters had that same sense of urgency, that same cutting edge, that it had when we first heard it.

He was last here with his band in 2011 and there were lots of similarities — the same high-powered opening five numbers on his signature Fender Jazzman, each one merging with the next number. Then an acoustic set where the temperature was lowered a little, before a rollicking hour of classics from his prolific back catalogue.

The Imposters were equally impressive, equally tight. If anything keyboardist Steve Nieve was given a bigger role as Costello didn’t break out into one of his goofy, left-of-field guitar solos till later in the evening, confining himself to jazz-based chord progressions and riffs for much of the first half.

Pete Thomas gave ample supporting evidence to Tom Waits’ claim that he’s "one of the best rock drummers alive", and bass guitarist Davey Faragher, the only American in the band, kept it all tight at the back.

The main difference was that the audience was up on its feet four songs in, sparked by a lone punter who raced up to the front of the stage, eyed nervously by a security guard, while Costello belted out Possession.

By the time he got to Everyday I Write A Book five minutes later the first 20 rows on the stalls were swaying or dancing.

"Why wait till the end of the show?" Costello quipped as he switched from the Jazzman to his Gibson Super 400 to bring us into the modern era with a song from his 2010 National Ransom album, Stations of the Cross, written about a friend holed up in a hotel during the bad storms on the East coast of America.

The pace slowed for Ascension Day, a song from his recent collaboration with New Orleans R&B legend Allen Toussaint, which featured some wicked keyboards against a guitar that owed something to the old blues standard St James Infirmary.

But you couldn’t keep the crowd from dancing too long and Costello obliged even after magnificent versions of Watching The Detectives — complete with police sirens and a megaphone — and a heartbreaking five minutes of I Want You brought the official set to a close.

The encore set was opened with a tribute to American singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, who died earlier this month. Costello had recorded Quiet About It, a song about dying, for Winchester on the day that he heard of the death of his father, musician Ross McManus.

By way of contrast he played Winchester’s Payday, a full-tilt rocker, before returning to his own material for some golden oldies including Alison, Come The Meantimes and Oliver’s Army.

Earlier in the evening 18-year-old Brisbane singer Thelma Plum sang and played some of her well-crafted songs, including Breathe In Breathe Out ("a f*** you to my ex-boyfriend") and Rosie, dedicated to her 18-year-old kelpie.

If you like Angus and Julia Stone of the Swell Season you’ll enjoy Plum’s work. With her engaging stage manner, ethereal voice and unusual delivery, she is a talent to watch out for. She has released an EP called Rosie and you can check her out on YouTube.

DETAILS:

CONCERT: Elvis Costello and The Imposters
WHERE: State Theatre
WHEN: Wednesday, April 23"

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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Heats101 »

So "Come the Meantimes" is a golden oldie. My how time flies !!
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Re: Elvis plays the State Theatre, Sydney - 23 April 2014

Post by Man out of Time »

A positive review by Liz Giuffre, published on 24 April 2014, in The Music

"Elvis Costello @ State Theatre

Elvis Costello, you sexy beast. Age, genre and the State Theatre on a Wednesday has done nothing to diminish your loveliness. Supported by local singer-songwriter-still bitter ex-girlfriend Thelma Plum (sweet acoustic folkie with potential to really shine), Costello took the stage a little early and at times seemed determined to not even slow down between tunes. For two-and-a-bit hours he cut a fine figure in a pinstripe suit, mustard socks and hatband, flitting between genres and eras like a live 'best of' mix.

His three-piece backers The Imposters kept up in style, though when recent tunes from Costello's album with The Roots, Wise Up Ghost, made their way out, there was an inevitable need to reconsider rather than try to recreate the epic Philadelphia hip hop sound. Of these the exquisite Cinco Minutos Con Vos was most transformed to simply Five More Minutes With You, as Costello took it solo rather than as the album version, Spanish Duet, with the band stripped back to a two-chord driving minimum to provide a drive that wasn't the same, but was still achingly glorious. No one else does longing with the right mix of dignity and gentle lust.

Walk Us Uptown also slow burned, but they sat easily next to the timeless awesome of Brilliant Mistake, Oliver's Army, What's So Funny About Peace, Love And Understanding and Alison, and in between Costello did occasionally pause to tell gentle stories about supporting his dad onstage in Blackpool, mini introductions to a small semi-gospel set and, of course, to beckon the crowd to their feet (“Why wait to the end?” he asked as we flocked, security glaring, to the aisles and down the front from ten minutes into the gig). A good chunk of the encore was dedicated to the late Jesse Winchester, paying tribute to someone with “a great economy of music and lyrics”, Costello playing Quiet About It slowly, gently. Elvis, come back soon."
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