Bilbao review

[The imposter]

If anybody is interested I was at the Bilbao show last night and was completely blown away. The man just gets better. In fine voice and humour Elvis ploughed through a supercharged set which lasted 2 and a half hours with no encore, ranging from the most energetic rockers to emotion filled ballads. Some wonderful new arrangements were heard. Costello has the ability to continually reinvent familiar old themes whilst retaining the freshness of the original. he has further refined his technique of singing `off-Mike´ and for one song exchanged places with a guy in the front row leaving the bemused and rather embarrased looking chap sitting on the stage listening to an personally re-dedicated version of ´alfonso´(Alison). When Elvis later suggested people stand and move closer to the stage they needed no second invitation and by the shows end young and old were rocking in the aisles.

Incidentally this weekends shows in Portugal have been cancelled.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.elviscostello.info/setlists/050607.php

2005-06-07: Bilbao, Spain, Palacio Euskalduna
Elvis Costello with the Imposters
- Chema Vellido

Welcome To The Working Week - Not correct order
Uncomplicated
Clown Strike
45
Country Darkness
Bedlam
Needle Time
Rocking Horse Road
Clubland
Either Side Of The Same Town
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
Brilliant Mistake
Indoor Fireworks
Episode Of Blonde
Toledo
Almost Blue
Kinder Murder
In The Darkest Place
When I Was Cruel No. 2
Watching The Detectives
The Delivery Man/The Butcher's Boy
Monkey To Man
Alison/Suspicious Minds
Don't Lose Your Grip On Love
Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used To Do)?
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
God Give Me Strength
Mystery Dance
Radio Radio
Pump It Up
The Scarlet Tide

[Otis Westinghouse]

Rocking Horse Road! nice one, would love to see that. And a surprise airing for Episode of Blonde. I do think he's overly ignoring WIWC on this tour, though was delighted to see Radio Silence was played in Birmingham. Am beginning to wish I was tracking songs played as I did in 2002. Always want to know if it's the first airing of a song on the tour. It's something I adore about Elvis.

[The imposter]

Gauza txikia ematen zuen Costelloren taldeak agertokian kokatua:hiru musikari baino ez. Beharbada, Euskalduna handiegia zen beraientzat? Ez,ezta pentsatu ere! Elvis costello, ohiko betaurrekoz, jantzi dotoreaz -gorbataz eta alkandora arrosaz-agertuzen. Artista langileaeta urduria da eta ez zuen atsedenaldia hartzeko unerik utzi. Bigarren kantuan, Uncomplicated-en, izerditan zegoen eta jendearen erantzuna heldu zen. Hiru lagunekin etorri zitzaigun Londresko kantaria primerako lagunekin, gainera: Steve Nieve (teklatuetan) eta David Farragher (baxuan eta bigarren ahotsean) The Attractions taldean ibiliak dira; Pete Thomas (baterian) ere ibilbide luzeko beteranoa dugu (Los Lobos, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Suzanne Vega, Ron Sexsmith, Randy Newman...). Datu bitxia: erritmo bikoteak sinple eta oinarrizkoa osatu zuten, protagonismoa hartu gabe. Horrelako lana egiteko Steve eta Elvis ditugu (elkarrekin 1978. urtetik): Stevek, lau teklaturekin baliatzeaz gain, melokida eta theremin bitxia jo zituen, askotan kantu berdinean zehar; Elvisek, bere kabuz, hots bikain batez eta gitarrista birtuosoa izan gabe, txinpartak atera zizkion instrumentuari, soloetan (bottleneck bat ez zen falta) zeinakordeetan. Zortzi gitarra ezberdin kontatu genituen bere eskuetan: Stratocaster bat, Telecaster bat, lau Gibson ezberdin (Gibson Les Paul, Blues Hawk, flying Mo-Jo, akustikoa), Gretsch bat...batetik bestera pasatzeko segundo pare bat baino ez zituen behar.

Kantuetan Costellok ez du inoiz zerrenda errepikatzen. Dylanek edo Van Morrisonek egiten duen moduan, momentuan aukeratzen du. Welcome to the Working Week zaharrarekin hasi zen eta gero denetarik entzun genuen: Radio radio, 45, Watching The Detectives, Clowntime is Over, Almost Blue balada zoragarria, Shipbuilding, Brilliant Mistake, When I Was Cruel, Peace, Love & Understanding, agurreko Pump It Up... Kantu berriakere hortxe izan ziren, The Delivery Man diskoan agertzen diren moduan ( Country Darkness, Monkey To Man, Needle Time, Button My Lip, The Scarlet tide...). Hitz gutxitan esateko, estilo ugaritan aritu zen Costello lagunak: popa, jazza, new wave-a, rock latinoa, countrya, bluesa eta, azken txanpan, rock and rolla. Minitu batean dozenaka lagun zuen inguruan, zutik eta dantzan. Primeran kontrolatzen du Costellok entzuleria; esaterako, lehenengo lerroko aulki batean eseri zen, gitarra, mikrofonoa eta guzti, eta horko laguna (nor eta Alfonso Kortazar pintore ezaguna eta fan porrokatua) denon aurrean eseri zuen Alison balada zaharra kantatzeko, Alfonso, my aim is true bilakatuz... Seme-alabei kontatzeko beste kontzertua.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Wow, you write flawless English and Basque! Respect. I can remember two words in Basque: telefonoak and vinoak, and they're probably wrong. And Euskerra, Euskadi, and something like eskerrikasko that means hello or goodbye. I loved hearing it on the radio up there. Are you good at throwing tree stumps and huge boulders?

[martinfoyle]

Here's Elvis after this show with some wild and crazy Spanish guys, one of whom posted this photo on a dimeadozen thread. Anyone from this forum here?

[so lacklustre]

The beard guy is VG
Next to him is his gay boyfriend
I have an idea that beige jacket man is Idle Hands on holiday (with wig)
back guy is LTZ 'all grown up'
Lady is shabbydoll (she has to be somewhere)

[verbal gymnastics]

The beard guy is VG
Next to him is his gay boyfriend

VG - The Beard Years.

I'm not gay but my boyfriend is!