Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Pretty self-explanatory
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verbal gymnastics
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Brilliant set but then that comes as no surprise on home turf.

I'm intrigued why She only had one verse (although one verse is more than enough in my opinion :lol: )
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by migdd »

Incredible set! Alibi!!! The hometown always brings the best out in E.C.
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by And No Coffee Table »

More from ecsongbysong:
First things first: “What Kind Of Fool Am I?” Was indeed the Anthony Newley, played as a snippet at the end of “New Lace Sleeves.”
“Alibi” is even better than I remembered: what a song, and what a furious performance of it!
“She” was solo on guitar, and introduced thus: “The band doesn't know this one, because they hate it.” Right on, Imposters.
He cut it off after one verse, and went into a full-band “Good Year For The Roses.” Steve Nieve, here as everywhere, was a miracle.
EC's mom, whose birthday is tomorrow, and all three of his sons were present. Sadly, no “My Three Sons” in their honor.
We did get “All These Strangers” again, though, which was very welcome. The Imposters arrangement is gorgeous.
Overall, the thinking seemed to be “If it ain't broke, don't fix it.” Still, it was the variations from the Roundhouse set that landed best.
Last edited by And No Coffee Table on Tue Jul 12, 2016 5:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Hawksmoor »

verbal gymnastics wrote:I'm intrigued why She only had one verse (although one verse is more than enough in my opinion.
He introduced it by saying 'the band don't play on this one 'cos they hate it' and there was a bit of laughter all round. He then started 'She' on his own with just the guitar while all three Imposters resolutely kept their hands by their sides. After persevering with the first verse, and kept looking round at the lads, EC morphed seamlessly into 'Good Year for the Roses' and the band joined in more or less straight away. It felt slightly as though it had been rehearsed that way as a gag, although I could be wrong. And, rehearsed or not, it was a funny little routine and went down well.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by erey »

EC has openly said he dislikes "She" when asked (and refusing to) play it at gigs in the US, where is wasn't any kind of hit.

Would it be super-mean of me to say that Mr. ecsongbysong is a much better Twitteriste than he is a (multi-thousand word) bloggist? Inverse-proportionally better, even.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by sulky lad »

Probably !
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by johnfoyle »

Link has Pictures by Getintothis’ John Johnson, including this -

Image

http://johnjohnson-photography.com/




http://www.getintothis.co.uk/2016/07/el ... um=twitter


Elvis Costello and The Imposters: Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool

12TH JULY 2016 LIVE REVIEWS

As Elvis Costello receives a homecoming of sorts, Getintothis’ Del Pike witnesses it all at the Philharmonic Hall.


It’s only been just over a year since Elvis last trod the boards at the Phil but the contrast between the shows feels like so much more. Last year’s Detour show was a mixed bag of music, monologues and collaborations with country duo Larkin Poe, this evening however was a straight out of the bag gig. Elvis was indeed good rockin’ tonight. Backed by The Imposters including Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas from the original line up, Elvis delivered a machine gun delivery of tracks, ploughing out one after the other with very little chat for at least half an hour, bar “Its great to be home!”

Elvis looks the part tonight and a lot younger than last year. The big country style hat seemed to accentuate his burgeoning years, but his man in black look, complete with shades, knocks years off him and he seems to move more freely. He still has those angular arm movements from the 70s but he uses the sparingly these days.The black suit could just as easily convey a funereal feel as a new Prime Minister announced today brings fearful memories of another lady in blue who inspired one of Elvis’s most important songs. More of that later.

Opening with Big Tears, a fan favourite but not an obvious choice, the scene was set for a set-list of songs from his early catalogue, virtually ignoring his absolutely golden mid to late 80s period but also opting for a set of largely unfamiliar later tracks instead.

Short runs of sure fire favourites like the trilogy of Watching the Detectives, The Other Side of Summer and New Lace Sleeves, keep the crowd happy, but they are much more subdued than last year. At the end of the obligatory Oliver’s Army, one guy in front of us stands up and urges everyone else to do so but he’s a one man army and is eventually asked politely to be seated half way through Peace, Love and Understanding.

Elvis phones in a little on Oliver’s Army, surely there are only so many times that this trademark song can be delivered with the passion it deserves. He is in full swell however on Pills and Soap, the first song in their lengthy encore. Returning to the stage in a stripy overcoat, bereft of guitar, Elvis stalks the stage like a villainous freak-show barker, gesturing mystically as he delivers his acid lyrics. The song is timely, telling of sly and vindictive news reporters who won’t stop at anything to get their story. Elvis tells us he is trying so hard to remain positive nowadays “but it’s getting hard”, and he finds comfort in having his boys and his Mum in the audience. We all sing Happy Birthday to her before he croons All these Strangers from 2010’s National Ransom. There are a few newer songs tonight, and we are told that some are being played for the first time by the band; Walk us Uptown, the single from 2013’s Wise Up Ghost struggles a little without its sharp Questlove production and Roots backing, but the rawness of The Imposters breathes new life into it.



It is definitely the rarer songs tonight that Elvis pours his heart into like National Ransom’s Stations of the cross, a lengthy brooding piece with stabbing chords and tense pauses, and Alibi from 2002’s harshly overlooked When I was Cruel album. Safety net crowd pleasers like Alison, I Don’t Want to go to Chelsea nd Green Shirt keep us happy.but the burning question on everyone’s lips was – on the day that Theresa May is officially announced as the new PM will he sing Tramp the Dirt Down? Elvis refused to sing it in the wake of Thatcher’s death, but tonight it gets a timely and welcome airing and is beautiful. The one man army from earlier is joined by the whole Philharmonic as the song we all needed to hear receives a standing ovation. Did Elvis say “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” during the applause, we think he may have done.

Elvis’s decision to play Shipbuilding tonight was appropriate too, not only because its a brilliant song, but also beacause it is a timely reminder of what happens when we allow fools to run the country. The sentiments of the Falklands War have a much wider resonance tonight

She follows Tramp the Dirt Down and there is a worry that this Charles Aznavour cover from the Notting Hill soundtrack is going to be the final song, but it quickly melds into Good year for the Roses and all is well. Pitch perfect renditions of Alison and Pump It Up end the evening and we can all leave satisfied.

It would have been good to hear some of those great 80s tracks that made King of America, Blood and Chocolate and Spike such incredible albums, but Elvis seems to avoid that whole era. His bravery however to delve into the darker corners of his repertoire paid off tonight and a brilliantly balanced set list could not fail to please.

Elvis Costello loves playing Liverpool as his covers of Polythene Pam and a slight I Saw Her Standing There prove, and Liverpool loves Elvis. Each gig tells a different story from the spinning songbook, through last year’s big TV to tonight’s no messing around rock gig. Whatever he brings, it’s always the best night out in town. Here’s to next year.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by johnfoyle »

Pic by Mark McNulty

Image


http://liverpooletc.com/deep-cuts-smoke ... ello-live/


DEEP CUTS, SMOKE AND MIRRORS: ELVIS COSTELLO LIVE

Have you heard the one about Elvis Costello going through the motions? No, neither have we. The singer, songwriter, author and transatlantic TV star was back treading the boards of the Phil last night. Once again, he confounded expectations. And made a big noise.

By Alan O’Hare.


You might have seen Elvis Costello in Liverpool over half a dozen times since 2008 – but you’ve never seen him do the same thing twice. Even when he brought ‘The Spectacular Spinning Songbook’ to town a couple of times in a little over a year, the setlist at the Liverpool Empire was unrecognisable from the second concert at the Philharmonic Hall a little while later.

He’s been back to the Phil a few times since, but always with something different under his hat. We’ve had a one-off with the RLPO, a solo show, Americana with The Sugarcanes and full on revenge and guilt from The Imposters. This time, Hope Street was rocked as Costello brought the noise, with his army of songs, to the stately room.

Perhaps it was the wrong room… as the seated crowd took a while to get going. The band didn’t, though. The four-piece flew out of the traps with ‘Big Tears’, ‘No Action’, ‘Watching The Detectives’ and ‘Moods For Moderns’ not pausing for breath or bridges. The bard from Birkenhead jousted with his Jazzmaster and kept the pace up for a frenetic first quarter of the two and a half hour show. Still, when you have a back catalogue as diverse and deadly as Declan’s, why pause for thought? The deep cuts kept coming as Costello used the occasion of touring without a record, a regular occurrence these days for the new wave pioneer, to indulge himself and his brilliant band. ‘Walk Us Uptown’ – from the 2013 album he made with The Roots – was a rocking revelation, ‘Clubland’ took a diversion or two down atonal paths, ‘Stations Of The Cross’ (from 2010’s ‘National Ransom’) matched chords and conscience, whilst ‘Bedlam’ brought the house down.

Surprisingly, the big lights appeared early, as the sold-out crowd were brought to their feet for ‘Oliver’s Army’ and ‘(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love & Understanding?’ just over an hour in. There was some panic as The Imposters left the stage with the boss… but worries were unfounded, as they all came back on for what was more like a second set, than an encore. Another hour of some of the most varied music you will ever hear from a four-piece beat combo was highlighted by a twitchy ‘Pills & Soap’, the brand new ‘A Face In The Crowd’, fan’s favourite ‘Green Shirt’ and a rocking ‘Alibi’. With about a dozen records mined for nuggets, you could be forgiven for wondering what one of our greatest songwriters had left… true fans knew.

Indeed, this was a night for them and the appreciation in the air was tangible when Costello took the band down the different alleys and avenues of ‘Night Rally’ and ‘All These Strangers’. The former, a tale of fascist rallies and corporate logos, boomed around the Phil like the promise of thunder, while the latter provided a gorgeous take on a modern classic and offered relief in the shapes and sounds of a soft summer rainstorm. It was that kind of night.

‘Tramp The Dirt Down’, greeted like a long-lost friend in this town, was updated from a delicate waltz to a determined, demented strum and was followed perfectly by a spacious ‘Good Year For The Roses’, highlighting the sour and sweet on offer at a Costello band show in 2016. A ‘Costello band show in 2016’… there’s a sentence to make you feel warm inside. The most cerebral singer and songwriter of his and possibly any other generation is still out there making noise and pointing fingers.
What a wonderful world this can be.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by johnfoyle »

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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Where was I saw her standing there interpolated?

It'll interesting to hear views as to whether or not She/Good year was genuinely impromptu - I guess we'll tell from the rest of the shows.

Also did Elvis start on the piano in Bedlam as he did at the Roundhouse? I genuinely thought this was impromptu - it's a good stage introduction otherwise to break a string each time you want to play it!
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Top balcony »

Oh what a night!
Great to meet up with the hugely generous Sulky Lad and the Elvis Costello Appreciation Society ( Liverpool Branch) including Bradwell Boy, Mr and Mrs John, Mikeh, Cocktail Murderess, Spirit of Curiosity plus Steve-song-by-song and Viddy7.
I was apprehensive about this gig, concerned that it couldn’t ever be the same as the old days – v.glad to be proved wrong. Even found myself pogo-ing on the front row during PiU.
Setlist says it all really, perhaps the highlight for me being the May inspired Tramp. Oh and Happy Birthday Dear Lillian was sung for the first time since the epic Picket gig.in 2007.
Bedlam started on guitar. Intro to Face in the Crowd fully topical given the UK’s political beauty contests. Sorry can’t elaborate on the She mystery, but it did make me laugh. No luck with a setlist, Stage crew said they’d been forbidden by the road manager, hope someone else had better luck.
BTW can’t believe that Angela Eagle arranged to launch her leadership bid in London on a day EC’s playing in Liverpool.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by oliversa1 »

No luck here with set list, roadies just screwed them up, can't believe it.

I was sat just behind you (Top Balcony) on Row B, need to start getting to know who everyone is.

John posted some of my photos (Andy Hayes).

Highlight, went upstairs to buy my wife a t shirt for Dublin and bumped into Steve Nieve. Need to find out how to get these passes for the after party though.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by johnanderson »

That was a great evening. I thought that the band took a while to hit top gear, but when they did, wow.

It was a very political set of songs, very in keeping with these uncertain times. I wonder whether Elvis deliberately played a fairly flat Oliver's Army after that awesome Bedlam.

On a side note, I spent most of the evening slightly distracted by Elvis' similarity in apoearance to George Galloway. Elvis sings better than Gorgeous George though.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Man out of Time »

Review by Alan Weston today in the Liverpool Echo:

"Review: Elvis Costello and The Imposters at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Over a mammoth two-and-a-half-hour set, this tight, well-drilled unit took us on a breathless journey through Costello’s prolific recording career

The last time I saw Elvis Costello live, a few years ago, he was still doing his “wheel of fortune” gimmick. This involved a glamorous female assistant dragging audience members on stage to spin a giant wheel featuring names of his songs. Costello would then go on to perform whichever song the arrow was pointing at when the wheel came to rest.

That format was dispensed with for this show, which was strictly a no frills, back to basics affair. For some years now, he has been performing under the name Elvis Costello and the Imposters, which consists of two of his long-standing sidekicks from The Attractions - Steve Nieve on keyboards, and Pete Thomas on drums - along with relative “newbie” Davey Faragher on bass.

Over a mammoth two-and-a-half-hour set, this tight, well-drilled unit took us on a breathless journey through Costello’s prolific recording career. The levels of energy and musicianship on display were remarkable, as the band tore through around 30 songs.

The opening salvo was a powerful reminder of Costello’s early glory days, when every single and album he put out was an instant classic. The songs were short and snappy, and ran into each other with barely a pause for breath, never mind any between-songs banter.

Watching the Detectives and I Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea came fairly early in the proceedings, but there were plenty of other numbers which would have been familiar to anyone who owned This Year’s Model and Armed Forces, his classic early albums with The Attractions.

As one of the best lyricists of this or any other generation, sometimes it was necessary to rely on memory to fill in Costello’s words as the band kept up the relentless pace. Always one of the most unshowy of guitarists, Costello in his latter years also seems to have discovered his inner Pete Townshend, or maybe even his John Squire, as he revealed a predilection for several extended guitar “wig-outs.”

After a rousing version of (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding, which got the audience to its feet, the band disappeared briefly from the stage. What followed was not so much an encore as the second half of the show, with around a dozen or so more numbers still to come, including a moving version of Shipbuilding, arguably Costello’s greatest song and a subtler counterpart to the angry rhetoric of Tramp the Dirt Down, which also featured here.

Among the members of the near-capacity crowd were, we learnt, Costello’s Liverpool-born mum Lillian, to whom he led the audience in a chorus of Happy Birthday. He still had A Good Year for the Roses, Alison, and Pump It Up up his sleeve, which he held back to the very end.

We emerged into a typically rainy night, in absolutely no doubt about two things: that we had got value for money, and that Costello and his bandmates are still at the very top of their game."
Photo credit to David Munn / Liverpool Echo
Photo credit to David Munn / Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo 2016.jpg (45.71 KiB) Viewed 24928 times
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Arbogast »

No Liverpool video?
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Harry Worth »

Well that was rather wonderful.

I was slightly worried that it might end up as a 'Detour with band' night, but no, definitely no. [Don't get me wrong I loved the Detour shows]

Sound was a bit echoey from where I was to start but hit the spot from 'Flutter and Wow' onward - in fact a lot of the evening had a Momofuku vibe for me with the band not quite fully rehearsed but sounding all the better for it. Good job I had Armed Forces on in the car on the way in as Mrs Worth would have been thinking he was playing new stuff otherwise. I love it when EC plunders the back catalogue, long may it continue.

Top 3 of the night: Alibi, Stations of the Cross, Good Year for the Roses.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Harry Lime »

Harry Worth wrote:
Top 3 of the night: Alibi, Stations of the Cross, Good Year for the Roses.
Stations of the Cross is such a great song--I'm glad to see it making an appearance again. It was a highlight from the Spinning Songbook show I saw in NYC.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by docinwestchester »

Harry Lime wrote:
Harry Worth wrote:
Top 3 of the night: Alibi, Stations of the Cross, Good Year for the Roses.
Stations of the Cross is such a great song--I'm glad to see it making an appearance again. It was a highlight from the Spinning Songbook show I saw in NYC.
This one?



I forgot about the pre-Wise Up Ghost "Wake Me Up" snippet at the end. Very cool, Elvis.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by oliversa1 »

I videoed Good Year for the Roses, have put on FB, not sure how to put it on You Tube at moment.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Fishfinger king »

I agree with most of the comments above.
Much as I liked the Detour gigs, I loved this - it was the dog's bollocks!!!
Sorry to miss board members - the Phil pub (and much of the surrounding area) seemed to be full of John Moores University graduating students and their families so we went straight to the venue and ate there.
Good art deco!
Sound a bit boomy initially but settled down.
Setlist a great mix of the obvious and obscure with a couple of well chosen covers - not sure I've heard both Beatles and Beach Boys covers in the same set before.
I think the She act was prepared in advance - good on the band on hating it - may it never grace a setlist again!
Highlights for me were return of Clubland and Alibi after a long break, the covers above, The Other Side of Summer and All These Strangers. Never thought I'd hear Mood for Moderns or Sunday's Best again - firsts for me since 1979 I guess.
Basically he's better with Steve, Pete and Davey accompanying him - long may it continue.
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Fishfinger king wrote:I think the She act was prepared in advance - good on the band on hating it - may it never grace a setlist again!
Agreed!
Fishfinger king wrote:Basically he's better with Steve, Pete and Davey accompanying him - long may it continue.
I hope you've got your flak jacket :lol:
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by verbal gymnastics »

Did anyone meet up with Elvis and the band afterwards?
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Harry Lime »

docinwestchester wrote:
Harry Lime wrote:
Harry Worth wrote:
Top 3 of the night: Alibi, Stations of the Cross, Good Year for the Roses.
Stations of the Cross is such a great song--I'm glad to see it making an appearance again. It was a highlight from the Spinning Songbook show I saw in NYC.
This one?



I forgot about the pre-Wise Up Ghost "Wake Me Up" snippet at the end. Very cool, Elvis.
That's the one. Thanks for sharing!
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Re: Elvis & The Imposters play Liverpool , July 11 2016

Post by Mikeh »

Some thoughts on the Liverpool show - great to see some of the forum members, some I have met before and some new - thanks to Sulky for my brown envelope packed with goodies and Top Balcony for a potted history of the area! When TB said he was "off for a Jimmy", the look of bemusement of EC Song by Song's face was priceless.

The show was great, though the audience was slow to get going. One thing I didn't like was the communal arm waving during Sunday's Best, which EC and Davey encouraged. Dangerously near James Blunt territory for me. Mind you, maybe there is a perverse pleasure in the audience arm waving while he sings "an arm, a leg, a severed head."

Clubland and Pills and Soap were highlights for me, then a horrendous journey home, through torrential rain, fog, motorway closures and diversions. Still well worth it.

See many of you in Manchester next March!
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