Did anyone here see Elvis in Dallas ,Texas in October 1999?

Pretty self-explanatory
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johnfoyle
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Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2003 4:37 pm
Location: Dublin , Ireland

Did anyone here see Elvis in Dallas ,Texas in October 1999?

Post by johnfoyle »

A scene in the movie A Mighty Wind shows a folk
group having to compete with fairground attractions.
Re-reading the Spring 2000 issue of Costello fanzine
Beyond Belief I see Elvis 'n Steve had a similar
experience in October 1999. On October 8 they played
the Starplex Amphitheater , Dallas , Texas.

Darren Courtney reported -

A “disconcerting” venue providing wealth of
distractions did not stop EC/SN from entertaining the
small audience at the Starplex on this muggy night in
October. Many of the press reviews have mentioned the
questionable booking choice of a large outdoor shed
for a two-person performance (this is also where EC
and the Attractions played for the Brutal Youth tour).
I would 1ike to underscore this by painting a mental
picture for you.

Imagine yourself at any big summertime outdoor concert
from your past; crowds, bad parking, lousy acoustics,
a long walk to your seat etc. Then have all of the
people from the soundboard to the back of the lawn
disappear. Then, just for laughs, set up one of the
largest state fairs in the country to fill the sky
behind the lawn (complete with the second largest
Ferris wheel in the world looming overhead, plenty of
amusement park screaming, and yes, even audible farm
animals).

This is what both EC and the audience had to deal
with. Instead of opening in darkness, “Alibi Factory”
was provided a second hand light show similar to a
highway patrol car pursuit. The distant screaming of
fair attendees added a most strange background vocal
to “Indoor Fireworks.” I don’t even want to mention
the cattle noises present during “I Want You.” By the
time a giant Texas cricket bounced off EC’s forehead
during “Inch by Inch”(appropriately enough right after
the “miss me by a mile” lyric), this concert became a
question of the ability of one vocalist to surmount
such obstacles.

EC mentioned the “Fun Fair” set up for his benefit
early in the show and, although the timing of the
early songs suffered — especially “The Loved Ones”
gradually he made the audience forget the
distractions. New songs such as “Suspect My Tears” and
“I Dreamed of My Old Lover Last Night” went over
extremely well. The pacing of the encores and the
surmounting number of songs played lent the show a
length and depth that truly spoke to EC’s ability to
still provide for an audience.

To this long time fan, he seemed to actually enjoy the
vocal difficulty of projecting the Bacharach numbers
in such a difficult environment. Although “CCIU No. 4”
was slightly amplified, one has to wonder. . . what
other performer playing today would even attempt such
a performance in this environment?

This was a show that managed to surmount impossible
odds solely due to the talent of the two people on
stage. This performance would have been one of the
best I’ve seen if I had been at the Caravan of Dreams
in Fort Worth, or at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas.
However, murderous thoughts about booking agents
aside, I remain greatly impressed by the commitment.

What the critics said:
“And if Mr. Costello’s subtle two-man show wasn’t
already badly suited for Starplex’s crank-it-up-to-I 1
acoustics, noise from the State Fair of Texas made
matters even worse. The screams of fair goers on
carnival rides ruined several soft ballads, and
occasional flashing lights from one of the rides made
it look like Mr. Costello was playing on the shoulder
of Central Expressway. It’s a major testament to Mr.
Costello’s talents that even with all those obstacles,
he still put on a fairly bold and convincing show.”
Thor Christensen, Dallas Morning-News (October 9)
-------------------------------------------------------

Great as Darren's account is I would just love
to see any photos of the show. Can anyone here provide
same - or tell me where to find them?
firebetty
Posts: 88
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2003 10:50 am
Location: a parallel plane

Post by firebetty »

oh my god! thor christensen is my brother's ex-girlfriend's brother!
as i write that it seems like a pretty internet myth, but it's true. he was the rock critic of a milwalkee paper when i met him. it was a long time ago, but i remeber going to his apartment and he had a lot of jeans hanging from pegs on his closet door.
unfortunately, i did not see the ever surreal performance in texas. alas. i would have made sure to be in the front row and flash the poor boys so they would know all their hard work was not in vain. and i am a woman made of breasts.
cottton-poly blends are an abomination
johnfoyle
Posts: 14852
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2003 4:37 pm
Location: Dublin , Ireland

Post by johnfoyle »

I guess thats a NO.

Maybe this getting the topic back up the board may prompt a response from tempoarily absent members...
legman open to offers
Posts: 326
Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2003 1:13 pm
Location: Sweet Sweet Mesquite Texas

Post by legman open to offers »

I did attend this EC&SN show in Dallas. I've been trying to remember details since this thread started.
After being a EC fan in early 80's and turning my back on him after hearing Almost Blue, this show started my return back to him. Looking back on the setlist, I wish I knew then what I know now.
As far as the State Fair of Texas setting, I don't think there is a lot of bleed over from the midway or ferris wheel, even during the more quiet tunes, which were plenty.
My bullshit-o-meter went off about the animal noise comment. Mr. Courtney is definately pulling the readers chain, as the animal barns are not even close to the venue.
As far as having photos of this event, I have found none.
firebetty, I look forward to seeing you at a Dallas show in the future. How about AustinCityLimits Festival? :wink:
Now I'm the invisible man, and you can't see me.
johnfoyle
Posts: 14852
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2003 4:37 pm
Location: Dublin , Ireland

Re: Did anyone here see Elvis in Dallas ,Texas in October 1999?

Post by johnfoyle »

Darrell on Facebook was at this show - I'm going to ask him if he has memories of it.

Image
Brodsky
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:54 pm

Re:

Post by Brodsky »

legman open to offers wrote:I did attend this EC&SN show in Dallas. I've been trying to remember details since this thread started.
After being a EC fan in early 80's and turning my back on him after hearing Almost Blue, this show started my return back to him. Looking back on the setlist, I wish I knew then what I know now.
As far as the State Fair of Texas setting, I don't think there is a lot of bleed over from the midway or ferris wheel, even during the more quiet tunes, which were plenty.
My bullshit-o-meter went off about the animal noise comment. Mr. Courtney is definately pulling the readers chain, as the animal barns are not even close to the venue.
As far as having photos of this event, I have found none.
firebetty, I look forward to seeing you at a Dallas show in the future. How about AustinCityLimits Festival? :wink:
Agreed. As someone who has actually attended other shows at this venue, some of this review sounds a bit like hyperbole to me. That said, Starplex is not exactly an intimate venue. Unfortunately, I was dealing with very young kids at the time, so I don't even remember hearing about this show when I was living in Dallas.
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