7/24/05 Chevy Ampitheatre , Pittsburgh

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 7:14 am

http://moodyladyphotoblog.blogspot.com/ ... eatre.html

Monday, July 25, 2005
Elvis Costello - 7/24/05 Chevy Ampitheatre
Here are my contraband photos from the venue from hell, along with a few shots taken by my nephew of me getting my King of America CD autographed!

Includes this -

Extreme Honey · Post by **Extreme Honey** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:25 pm

I can't see the picture!

Watching_Detectives · Post by **Watching_Detectives** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 4:05 pm

Does anybody know how good this show was? My brother was there, and I planned on going, but sadly I'm in beautiful Scottland, and apparently EC said something about Bush?

Helios · Post by **Helios** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 4:51 pm

Or how it compared to the Philadelphia show? There are some good new photos up on the homepage. And who was the attractive lady pictured with them, one of the mate's wives? Lucky men.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 1:04 am

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05206/543508.stm

The Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh

Concert Review:

Costello rocking trip included detour through country

Monday, July 25, 2005

By Ed Masley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

There are no better live performers in rock at the moment than Elvis Costello. Even hemmed into a quiet country corner by his choice of touring partners, Costello delivered the goods for three electrifying, entertaining hours Sunday at the Chevy Amphitheatre, hitting the stage in savage rock mode with the great Pete Thomas pounding out the jungle beat on "Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)" and quietly putting the show to bed 37 songs -- and nearly as many hilarious introductions -- later with Emmylou Harris adding to the understated beauty of "The Scarlet Tide."

His touring partner made her first appearance 10 songs into what had started more as a conventional -- meaning brilliant -- Costello performance. Joined by two-thirds of the greatest backing band the world has ever known (and bassist Davey Farragher doing what he could to get us through Costello's feud with the mighty Bruce Thomas), he followed "Doomsday" with a souful, stretched-out "Clown Strike" (fueled by Sunday's MVP, Steve Nieve, on the Vox Continental), "Everyday I Write the Book" (with a new, improved chorus), "(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea," the acidic cocktail pop of "Clubland," a truly emotional reading of "Man out of Time" and a speed-trial performance of "Radio Radio."

At that point, Larry Campbell joined the band on pedal steel for "Country Darkness," one of several tracks from last year's "The Delivery Man" that came across in concert as an Elvis staple in the making. Boasting a looser, more natural groove than the studio version, it almost suggested The Band, unlike the song that followed -- a breakneck rendition of "Waiting for the End of the World" that sounded punk despite the fuzztone pedal steel.

They slowed things down when Harris joined Costello in a 12-song country segment whose highlights ranged from "Stranger in the House" to Harris doing George Jones nice and pretty on "One of These Days," a gorgeous "Sleepless Nights," "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down," "Indoor Fireworks," a seemingly impromptu performance of "Mystery Train," an aching version of "My Baby's Gone," "American Without Tears" and a rocked-out rendition of "Luxury Liner."

Harris left the stage at that point, and the shift in tone was radical, from the dissonant howl of Costello's guitar to a soulful, tortured yet frequently comic performance on vocals that found "The Delivery Man" emerging as the closest thing in Sunday's set to the missing-in-action "I Want You."

And the pacing didn't suffer from keeping the focus on last year's model, with a raucous three-song blast of "Bedlam," "Monkey to Man" and an "Uncomplicated"-worthy romp through "Needle Time" that found Costello torturing the neck of his guitar with a bottleneck slide and ending with "I feel so suicidal, even hate my rock 'n' roll." The next three songs came fast and furious, all played too fast but in a good way, from "Mystery Dance" to Hank Williams' "Why Don't You Love Me" and a "Pump It Up/Ain't That a Lot of Love" medley, ending the set with a soulful "Alison" that morphed into "Suspicious Minds."

When Costello returned for the encore with Harris in tow, he promised "We're just getting started" and then proved it with an eight-song encore that began with more Gram Parsons ("Wheels") and included a devastating -- dare I say newly definitive -- version of "Love Hurts," a ballad Harris used to sing with Parsons, in addition to the Stones' attempt at capturing the Parsons sound ("Wild Horses").

Other highlights of the encore ranged from Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" to a spirited "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding" and the anti-war "The Scarlet Tide," marked by a venomous delivery of the line "Admit you lied and bring the boys back home."

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(Ed Masley can be reached at emasley@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1865)

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http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-rev ... 56997.html

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

British rocker Elvis Costello performs Sunday at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre.
Andrew Russell/Tribune-Review

Scenes from Arts-burgh

From staff reports
Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Offerings from Pittsburgh's cultural arts and entertainment events:

Elvis Costello/Emmylou Harris

The first sign Elvis Costello's concert Sunday at the Chevrolet Amphitheatre was going to be different came three songs in when "Every Day I Write the Book" was cast with an orchestral accent courtesy of Steve Nieve's keyboards. And while "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" and "Radio Radio" were classic Costello, another subtle change came when sideman Larry Campbell sat down to play pedal steel on "Country Darkness," setting the stage for Emmylou Harris' entrance two songs later.

It wasn't quite a hoedown, but Harris' luminous presence allowed Costello to explore his longtime love affair with country music.

Those would be highlights enough for most shows, but a passing train prompted Costello to launch into an impromptu, magical version of "Mystery Train" with Harris. Supercharged versions of "Mystery Dance" and "Pump It Up" gave way to the sweet heartbreak of "Alison."

And still there was more: A nine-song encore featured covers of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," "Love Hurts" and Bob Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece," before Costello rolled out "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding" and the chilling "Scarlet Tide."

All this in almost three hours that no other artist save Costello could pull off.

-- Regis Behe

ice nine · Post by **ice nine** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 2:51 am

Excellent show. The audience was on its feet for the last few numbers and 'Alison' became a sing-a-long. Luckily, the rain never came during the show. It sprinkled before the show, but it cleared up. Elvis kept his sports jacket and tie on even though it was in the eighties.

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 5:33 am

ice nine wrote:The audience was on its feet for the last few numbers and 'Alison' became a sing-a-long.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:58 am

The setlist is here.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Sun Jul 31, 2005 10:29 am

masterful improvisation.

Well, he wasn't to know that Elvis has been doing Mystery Train since the Bristol , UK show earlier on this year.

http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cf ... 8564&rfi=6

Beaver County Times Allegheny Times
07/31/2005

When life throws you a sudden train, make train music.

That's a lesson Elvis Costello taught last Sunday during the highlight of a remarkable Chevrolet Amphitheatre concert.

Seconds after finishing a duet with his touring partner, Emmylou Harris, Costello heard the shrill whistle from a Norfolk Southern train approaching on the tracks that run parallel to the Station Square venue.

Joking that they had finished the song in the nick of time, Costello made an off-the-cuff remark about how he probably should sing a train song. Spectators chuckled, the train roared by, and Costello's grin grew wider as he pondered the idea. Then the eclectic rocker surprised everyone by launching into the opening verse of "Mystery Train," an old R&B number by Little Junior Parker.

Without missing a beat, Costello's terrific band, the Imposters, climbed aboard, with drummer Pete Thomas thumping out a train-like rhythm, while bassist Davey Faragher and organist Steve Nieve supplied "Mystery Train's" locomotive thrust. Though initially caught off guard by this departure from the set list, Harris began cooing backing harmonies as the toe-tapping song chugged along, drawing enthusiastic cheers from a crowd realizing they were witnessing a masterful improvisation.

Those are the moments that turn great concerts into unforgettable ones.

Dressed dapperly in a brownish suit over a lilac shirt and matching tie, the 50-year-old Costello and his band began the nearly three-hour concert with a 35-minute set that included New Wave nuggets like "Chelsea," "Radio," and "Everyday I Write the Book."

The silvery-haired Harris then strolled onto the stage, looking smashing in a wine-colored top and jeans. For the next dozen songs, her angelic vocal stylings blended well with Costello's slightly ragged voice throughout a countrified set that featured "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down," a George Jones cover, and Harris' soulful "Red Dirt Girl," her semi-autobiographical song of growing up in Birmingham, Ala.

Harris left the stage as Costello and the Imposters played songs from last year's "Delivery Man" disc, including a blazing run through "Bedlam," a smoldering take on the bluesy title track, and the cheeky crowd-pleaser "Monkey to Man."

The set ended splendidly with the rousing "Pump It Up," followed tenderly by "Alison," for which Costello invoked that other Elvis by softly inserting a few verses from "Suspicious Minds."

Harris returned for a lengthy encore that included a song by her mentor, alt-country legend Gram Parsons. A goosebump moment came a song later, as Costello and Harris hauntingly harmonized on "Wild Horses," which the Rolling Stones had written for the late Parsons to record.

On tour together for just two weeks, Costello and Harris were an incredible pairing.

Scott Tady can be reached online at stady@timesonline.com.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Mon Dec 26, 2005 5:59 am

http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cf ... 8564&rfi=6

Entertainment Columnist - Scott Tady
12/25/2005

In the iPod of my mind, here are the top musical moments of 2005 that will play on perpetual shuffle.

* Elvis Costello, hearing a northbound train approaching, improvising a foot-stomping version of "Mystery Train" then later driving his fans into delirium with an organ-frenzied version of "Pump It Up" at Chevrolet Amphitheatre.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 11:24 am

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05363/629061.stm

2005 Best Pop Concert: Elvis Costello

Thursday, December 29, 2005
By Ed Masley and Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

( extract)

If you're into rock at all, the week of July 24 was not the greatest time you could have planned to be away from Pittsburgh -- not with two of rock 'n' roll's most celebrated entertainers passing through. Elvis Costello was brilliant as usual, packing three impassioned hours full of timeless hits and unexpected treasures while plugging a recent release, "The Delivery Man," whose songs all sounded better live. And then, Bruce Springsteen turned up four days later with no backup band in sight to redefine his stage show with a set you never would have thought could follow what he did here last time with the E Street Band. Here is the list of best concerts, compiled with input from freelancer John Artale.

1. ELVIS COSTELLO WITH EMMYLOU HARRIS
Chevrolet Amphitheatre, July 24

There are no better live performers in rock at the moment than Elvis Costello. Even hemmed into a quiet country corner by his choice of touring partners, Costello delivered the goods for three electrifying, entertaining hours, hitting the stage in savage rock mode backed by two-thirds of the greatest backing band the world has ever witnessed and quietly putting the show to bed 37 songs -- and nearly as many hilarious introductions -- later with Emmylou Harris adding to the understated beauty of "The Scarlet Tide." A little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll, all genius.