Elvis and The Imposters, Los Angeles, CA, November 13, 2021

[Man out of Time]

Elvis and The Imposters, with Charlie Sexton, play the YouTube Theater, Los Angeles, CA on Saturday November 13, 2021.

Elvis made a guest appearance at the same venue last month, joining Juanes onstage to sing/play "Pump It Up" to promote the release of Spanish Model. Will Juanes return the favour on Saturday? He is playing a show in Monterrey on Friday, but could make it to Los Angeles the following day.

YouTube Theater is an "intimate" venue, offering seating for up to 6,000 guests. Ticket prices for the show range from $39.99 up to $179.50. Some of the best seats are available on resale sites for up to $300. Maybe half the seats are sold, currently, which is a bigger audience than for some other shows on the tour.

It is doubtful that the audience will be encouraged to film the show and share the result on a popular video file sharing site online.

The usual COVID restrictions apply, so check what you need as prove of vaccination, before you turn up.

Who's going?

MOOT

[And No Coffee Table]

Kitten Kuroi: "In some good news, tonight, I'm about to go see/suppprt my boys, @ElvisCostello & The Imposters perform in the city of my birth! Huzzah!"

[And No Coffee Table]

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

01. Heart Of The City
02. Green Shirt
03. No Flag
04. Either Side Of The Same Town
05. Hetty O'Hara Confidential
06. Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me?
07. Mystery Dance - including fourth verse
08. Penelope Halfpenny
09. The Boy Named If
10. Indoor Fireworks
11. High Fidelity
12. Uncomplicated - including Shotgun
13. The Death Of Magic Thinking
14. Watching The Detectives
15. I Still Have That Other Girl - EC & Steve
16. The Comedians
17. Brilliant Mistake / Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
18. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
19. Magnificent Hurt
20. Radio, Radio
21. Newspaper Pane
22. What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love?
23. Alison - including You've Been Cheatin' and I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
24. Farewell, OK
25. Pump It Up
26. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?

[And No Coffee Table]

Kitten Kuroi: "Awww, so great to see the gang tonight!! They we're KILLIN'! EC gave me a shoutout, too! If you came to the show and heard him say something about "a girl from Inglewood". That was a nod to me being born here!"


EC's joke was about committing adultery with girls from Inglewood, but if Kitten wants to take credit for it I certainly won't object. She was friendly with fans and very noticeable in the crowd in an outfit similar to her usual stage attire.

EC also acknowledged La Marisoul in the audience. I wonder whether safety protocols prevent guests from being invited onstage. A "Little Triggers"/"Detonantes" duet would have been cool. (Not counting Charlie Sexton, there haven't been any guest appearances this tour.)

"I Still Have That Other Girl" was preceded by a cryptic dedication to "Sue" and a "coming joyful occasion." Pete, Davey, and Charlie did not leave the stage while EC and Steve played it.

The highlights for me were "Hetty O'Hara Confidential" (which really shines with the band) and "The Comedians."

[clowntimeisover]

Hello there, long time lurker here... Saw EC a number of times starting when he opened for Steely Dan a long time ago and then his book tour and every subsequent time he stops by in CA.

Anyways, saw him last night and it was a great show. Felt that he was singing much clearer and stronger than in relatively recent tours, not really struggling with the material (as much as I loved the Look Now tour, his voice took a bit of a dip in that run), and just having more fun. I liked the stripped down nature of this tour's stage setup: no projections, no theme, just a return to straight ahead live performances. Not that I didn't love the themes or designs of the other tours, but this one seems to be designed as all punch and no fluff.

The rearranged Hey Clockface material was excellent, and I did not spoil these arrangements by watching the live videos, so it was a nice treat to catch them with fresh ears. No Flag really shined in my ears, and I loved how EC dragged Hetty O'Hara out. I think not all of the crowd was receptive, but 99% of the crowd usually does not care much for new material, and especially from an album as divisive as Hey Clockface.

The new songs were a blast, Penelope really being a massive highlight and I can't wait to hear them all in their studio incarnations. Although it seems the sets haven't been sprinkled with too much variation, I think this works well in the long run. The band and EC are able to really dig into the material as a result, and I felt that the old standbys are played with a bit more improvising that works rather than aimless noodling. Do wish they would change up the closing numbers (it seems they did at a couple shows) but if it works then why fix it? Additionally, having Charlie handling the auxillary guitar was a treat, his playing really elevated the songs and it was great to hear some well crafted and honed in solos on Indoor Fireworks, Hey Clockface, and Brilliant Mistake.

I for sure thought Marisol would come up and sing a song with the group but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Would have been a treat but I'm sure there was a reason. Anyways, it was a fantastic show at a pretty cool and new venue. Would love to see more shows there, if some sort of GA section were to open up.

[sweetest punch]

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2021/11/14/ ... nd-future/

Elvis Costello delights at YouTube Theater with songs from his past, present, and future

Elvis Costello had a choice at the finish of “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea,” a crowd-pleasing early hit played late in his show at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood on Saturday.

Should he blaze straight ahead into “Radio, Radio,” an even bigger fan favorite, hovering out there yet to be played in his set? Or take a hard left into “Magnificent Hurt,” the first single of his forthcoming album “The Boy Named If,” and a song many in the crowd wouldn’t know by words or music.

It’s kind of a false premise, though, because if you know Elvis like we know Elvis, you know there was never any choice at all. For in a career filled with moments of unpredictability, Costello fans can pretty much expect the unexpected and that the mercurial singer-songwriter will head anywhere he wants to go.

And over the course of 26 songs and nearly two-and-a-half hours, Elvis Costello and the Imposters delivered a terrific night that time-traveled across Costello’s songbook, past, present, and future.

The show opened with a cover, Nick Lowe’s “Heart of the City,” and then on to “Green Shirt,” an album track from 1979’s “Armed Forces,” with its rat-a-tat-tat snares, swirling organ fills, and paranoid vocal.

Next up, the heavier rock feel of “No Flag,” a song from 2020’s “Hey Clockface,” then the soulful groove of “Either Side of the Same Town,” and, well, you can see how this eclectic set is shaping up, yes?

Costello can easily jump around his catalog in part thanks to the strength of the Imposters, which are the longest-running and best lineup of his 45-year career. That’s not a dis at the Attractions of his earliest albums, either, since the Imposters are largely the same musicians.

The Imposters include Attractions Steve Nieve on keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums, with Davey Faragher the group’s bassist. And for this fall tour, the band is stronger still with the addition of guitarist Charlie Sexton, who has been a regular part of Bob Dylan’s studio and touring band in recent decades.

Sexton’s presence was felt throughout the show in subtle and obvious ways. Costello may be an underrated guitarist — he plays very well within the styles he most often works — but the Austin-raised sideman brings a different style to the mix, on display early in the set on songs such as the jazz-blues of “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” or his solo on the earlier Costello favorite “Mystery Dance.”

The new album, “The Boy Named If (and Other Children’s Stories),” won’t be out until early 2022, but over the course of this month or so on the road Costello has steadily added songs from the record to his live show, playing six of its 13 tracks on Saturday.

After a long, humorous introduction to the themes of the new material — during which Costello imagined himself as a 7-year-old in confessional that looked like a Tardis time machine, confessing to adultery while drinking Irish whiskey with the priest — he dove into a pair of songs from that album, “Penelope Halfpenny” and the title track.

Both were well-received by fans, even though these were their local live debuts; the record, again, won’t be out for months, and at times, especially on “The Boy Named If,” the sound mix muffled his voice, obscuring the lyrics.

That occasional sound issue would be the only minor flaws in the night. Did he play the country-ish tune “Indoor Fireworks” much, much slower than the version on “King Of America” I like so much? Sure, but mixing things up is part of his thing, I’ll follow him there.

And mixing it up is where some of the delights are found. “Uncomplicated,” with its pounding rhythms building louder and louder suddenly dropped a snippet of “Shotgun” by Junior Walker & the All Stars.

Costello mentioned his recent release “Spanish Model,” a re-recording of 1978’s “This Year’s Model” with Spanish-language vocals by Latin music singers such as Juanes or La Marisoul of Los Angeles’ La Santa Cecilia, who was at the show on Saturday.

He then introduced the tune “Brilliant Mistake” as the Cuban Model version, and played it in an arrangement befitting that island nation’s musical heritage, while also blending it with the jazz standard “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”

Other highlights included the Costello-Burt Bacharach number “I Still Have That Other Girl,” played as a duet with only Nieve’s piano as accompaniment for Costello’s strong vocal.

There were, of course, much more familiar songs in the set as well. “Watching The Detectives” showed up midway through the show, its ominous, low guitar riff and Nieve’s organ fills instantly recognizable.

When “Radio, Radio” finally did show up, 20 songs into the night, it drew an even bigger response from the crowd, as did the classic lovelorn ballad “Alison.” That latter number, introduced by Costello as “a song I don’t even know how to play,” was particularly lovely thanks to Sexton’s lyrical guitar part, a style that, truth be told, isn’t in Costello’s toolbox.

“Farewell, OK,” was the sixth and final new song from “The Boy Named If,” and I’d be willing to bet there were many in the audience who didn’t know they didn’t yet know this one, given how seamlessly its style fit into the vintage Costello sound.

Finally, “Pump It Up” did exactly what its title suggests — the one thing his shows sometimes lack is a standing-up-and-dancing kind of energy — before “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” Costello’s usual closer, wrapped up a very satisfying night of delights, expected or not.

[WindUpWorld]

Great to read Clowntime, thanks for taking time out from lurking. I’ll try to follow your example at point when he plays this side of the pond again.

Hello there, long time lurker here... Saw EC a number of times starting when he opened for Steely Dan a long time ago and then his book tour and every subsequent time he stops by in CA.

Anyways, saw him last night and it was a great show. Felt that he was singing much clearer and stronger than in relatively recent tours, not really struggling with the material (as much as I loved the Look Now tour, his voice took a bit of a dip in that run), and just having more fun. I liked the stripped down nature of this tour's stage setup: no projections, no theme, just a return to straight ahead live performances. Not that I didn't love the themes or designs of the other tours, but this one seems to be designed as all punch and no fluff.

The rearranged Hey Clockface material was excellent, and I did not spoil these arrangements by watching the live videos, so it was a nice treat to catch them with fresh ears. No Flag really shined in my ears, and I loved how EC dragged Hetty O'Hara out. I think not all of the crowd was receptive, but 99% of the crowd usually does not care much for new material, and especially from an album as divisive as Hey Clockface.

The new songs were a blast, Penelope really being a massive highlight and I can't wait to hear them all in their studio incarnations. Although it seems the sets haven't been sprinkled with too much variation, I think this works well in the long run. The band and EC are able to really dig into the material as a result, and I felt that the old standbys are played with a bit more improvising that works rather than aimless noodling. Do wish they would change up the closing numbers (it seems they did at a couple shows) but if it works then why fix it? Additionally, having Charlie handling the auxillary guitar was a treat, his playing really elevated the songs and it was great to hear some well crafted and honed in solos on Indoor Fireworks, Hey Clockface, and Brilliant Mistake.

I for sure thought Marisol would come up and sing a song with the group but I guess it wasn't meant to be. Would have been a treat but I'm sure there was a reason. Anyways, it was a fantastic show at a pretty cool and new venue. Would love to see more shows there, if some sort of GA section were to open up.

[WindUpWorld]

But the YouTube theatre, is that near the Netflix cinema and the Amazon record shop and their bookshop as well?

[sweetest punch]

https://theindyreview.com/2021/11/15/li ... YR1VqI2BlA

Live Report: Elvis Costello & The Imposters at the Youtube Theater

I will admit to some hesitancy when purchasing a ticket to see Elvis Costello with his band The Imposters at the YouTube Theater. Costello has had a very long and diverse career, with sojourns into R&B, jazz and classic pop standards – and I’m mainly a fan of his rock/mod/punk style music. I didn’t know what kind of show he would be playing that night, but I also knew I didn’t want to miss a chance at catching one of the best exports the UK ever gave us.

Thankfully, the evening would be a mostly crowd-pleasing affair, with Costello focusing mainly on his more rocking songs, with only some brief dalliances into his other influences. He opened the night with a hard-hitting version of Nick Lowe‘s “Heart of the City”, followed by his Armed Forces cut “Green Shirt”. The night’s first highlight came next, with his performance of his 2020 single “No Flag”. Hearing the track live further confirmed my belief that it’s one of the best, biting punk songs he’s written in decades, and stands up perfectly with his earliest work. Costello and the band played two more other key tracks from the 2020 album Hey Clockface; “Hetty O’Hara Confidential”, which the band tackled in a way that it brought out the song’s bebop heart, and the jazzier “Hey Clockface/How Can You Face Me”.

On songs like the latter, where Costello veered away from his more well-known material, it often seemed like the opportunity audience members would take to get a drink or use the bathroom during sets. But as I said earlier, Costello mainly focused on his more rock-oriented songs, likely because his forthcoming album A Boy Named If, is said to be a back to basics album. Based on the tracks he previewed from that album, “Penelope Halfpenny”, the title track and current single “Magnificent Hurt”, it certainly sounds Costello is continuing where he started with “No Flag”.

The body of the set was filled with a few more crowd pleasers (“High Fidelity” and “Watching the Detectives” received joyful responses) as well as a few of his personal indulgences (such as his Burt Bacharach collaboration “I Still Have that Other Girl”). I will say the one big disappointment of the night was Costello’s Cubano reimagining of “Brilliant Mistake”. A personal favorite track of mine, it’s Latin-style remake (Costello recently released Spanish Model, full of new takes on his classic album done by Spanish and South American artists) just did not do the song justice. It’s a track so perfect in its simplicity, that any tinkering just ruined the formula.

The bad taste was quickly washed away as the band launched into “(I Don’t Want to Go To) Chelsea”, a classic that sounded fantastic live. Soon after this, Costello and his band would grace the audience with a riotous “Radio, Radio” which had the crowds dancing, a moving take on “Newspaper Pane” (which sounded far better live than on record), and a lovely, slowed down version of “Allison”.

I expected the evening to end there, but I am grateful to be wrong. “Farwell, Ok” brought the energy back up, warming up the crowd for the singalong “Pump It Up” and a spirited “(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”. If you can’t smile hearing that song, there’s simply something wrong with you. So unlike another artist I recently saw live (name rhymes with Man Vorrison), Costello knows how to properly mix up his sets with some new material to promote, some tracks for himself, and songs for the audience.

If you aren’t familiar with the man’s work, dive into his catalogue with the below playlist, and keep an ear out for his new album early in 2022! Also watch a few clips from the show at our Instagram: @TheIndyReview

[verbal gymnastics]

I’m glad I’m not the only one who is not keen on the new version of Brilliant Mistake.

[MOJO]

Love the Cuban version of Brilliant Mistake. It was highlight for me at the most excellent show in Oakland last night. Hope they keep Charlie Sexton around. Super cool band.

[WallyRando]

Are there any recordings of the Cuban version?

[bronxapostle]

Are there any recordings of the Cuban version?

Of course

[sulky lad]

Are there any recordings of the Cuban version?

Of course

[bronxapostle]

Are there any recordings of the Cuban version?

Of course

You know I am NOTHING if not defiant....but I did not record for several tours now. However, to think in this day and age in the good old USA, that NO recordings exist is simply a pipe dream of the disillusioned. Amen.

[WallyRando]

Of course

You know I am NOTHING if not defiant....but I did not record for several tours now. However, to think in this day and age in the good old USA, that NO recordings exist is simply a pipe dream of the disillusioned. Amen.

I'll try to speak with the care and direly literal phrasing I would if wishing from a monkey's paw going forward.