10 years of the Imposters

[verbal gymnastics]

I'm surprised this has been missed. It's now 10 years from the first proper Imposters gig.

John, you're slipping

[johnfoyle]

Sorry! Here's some stuff hasn't been transferred to the wiki page yet ; I'll have a look at my cuting folder for more stuff later.




2002-04-15: Amsterdam, Paradiso Club
Elvis Costello with the Imposters
- Lorenzo

Accidents Will Happen
Waiting For The End Of The World
45
Spooky Girlfriend
(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
Dust 2
15 Petals
Tart
Man Out Of Time
When I Was Cruel No. 2
I Hope You're Happy Now
Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)
Encore 1
Alibi
You Belong To Me
Pump It Up
Encore 2
Episode Of Blonde
Lipstick Vogue
I Want You


http://www.elviscostello.info/concert/0 ... 0415q.html

Review of concert from 2002-04-15: Amsterdam, Paradiso Club - with Imposters

- Joyce Slavik


Just a quickie before a brief nap and heading to the airport. Great show tonight. It seemed short but did go for 90 minutes. The lister crowd headed up the line in the cold for a two-hour wait. We hardly needed to since most people seemed to rush for the seats up in the balcony. Amsterdam played for about 1/2 hours and Elvis started a few minutes before 8:30pm. Looked good - all black, shirt untucked. I liked his shoe boots. I think Alfonso will be typing up the setlist so I'll give my highlights.

The band sounded very tight on the old stuff. Davey Faragher on bass - great! I love bass and he was doing some good work along with the occasional backup vocal. Steve sounded good but a bit restrained. Where I was standing (directly in spittle range underneath Elvis) I couldn't see him at all. Just the occasional flopping of wild hair. I could see Pete directly behind Elvis but he wasn't looking around too much. He was very focused on what Elvis was doing. Funnily enough, the pre show music was mainly the *other* Elvis. funny. Alfonso, Robin (Alfonso's wife), Nick, Wouter and I were up front.

Highlights in a nutshell: End of the World, 15 Petals, When I was cruel 2, I hope you're happy now, Doll Revolution, You Belong to Me. Big huge highlights: Episode of Blonde (I love this song anyway but it was
truly outstanding live. Elvis seemed to be having sooo much fun with it), I Want You (a wonderful version). I really liked the live version of 15 Petals. He started out by saying he was about to sing a love song, sang a
little bit of "She" and then said something like "I'm kidding. I'm through with that shit!" Big applause. Very funny. 45 was good but he screwed up the lyrics and combined perhaps 3 verses into a few lines. I always enjoy seeing how he works his way out of that sort of thing. Dust 2 and Dust were combined and were listed on the setlist as "Dust 2 dust". Funny. The setlist was all typed and had EC's guitar listed next to each song. My Little Blue Window were played at the soundcheck (shades of listening at the door with Patsy and dweil at the Tabernacle in Atlanta) but we didn't get that today. Another hightlight: Lipstick Vogue.

We were dancing about but the couple next to us kept giving us stoic looks. I think Elvis preferred people to be having fun! Spooky Girlfriend was good but a little fast I thought. WIWC (not listed as 2 on the setlist) was weird because Elvis was playing with his new techno gadgety toy and the band didn't seem to know what to do. Doll Revolution went over fantastic live. Pump It Up - good but yawn. Guitars mentioned on setlist: Jazzmaster, Magnatone (I think this is the one that still has the pricetag), Gibson 160E, Baritone. I know nothing about guitars so there ya have it. I think he quit after one hour and came back for two encores. The crowd was insane for a long time in between encores (aforementioned stoic couple didn't appreciate my loud wolf whistles but then I didn't appreciate them smoking). It was a great rocking show. I'm expecting tomorrow ( Astoria, London) to be pretty similar with probably a different set of encores. Please don't take out Episode of Blonde though! Elvis did his usually scoping out and grinning at the audience. I just love that. Great hanging out with Alfonso, Robin and Nick.

[verbal gymnastics]

The Astoria show was great. Unfortunately there won't be any reviews of that show on this reincarnation of the board.

I clearly remember seeing Elvis with sulky lad at the Virgin Megastore with Elvis doing a 4 song set, buying 2 copies of When I Was Cruel (and getting one signed for Mikeh), having my picture taken with Elvis, watching the show start with My little blue window, and then having a great chat afterwards, particularly with Davey.

Happy days (as they have been every time I've seen the Imposters since).

[And No Coffee Table]

I celebrated last year.
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... f=2&t=9034

[verbal gymnastics]

Ah, but they weren't called the Imposters. In fact the bootleg from Meltdown deems them as the "almost Attractions"!

Pedantry pedantry

[bronxapostle]

I celebrated last year.
http://www.elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2 ... f=2&t=9034

this is MUCH more accurate ANCT!. i saw them for the first time at a couple NYC promo appearances in APRIL 2002!!!

[watercamp]

Congrats to Davey for tenth with the band, great addition.

[johnfoyle]

My rummage through my cuttings folder from 2002 told me a few things. It's in a mess for a start. '02 was when this whole 'net thing as a info. source really started kicking in and I was less likely to keep paper copies of stuff. A certain amount got posted on some fan sites. Until I get a chance to sit down and tidy it up all I can offer is this photo from the Evening Standard from the Astoria show.





The Paradiso show is , of course, of more interest as regards the first outing of The Imposters under that name etc. I'm going to e-mail a few people who were at those shows and see if they have some photos that have not been digitised etc. More as I get it!

[Paul B]

I first saw the Imposters at the tail end of Elvis's Meltdown gig that year, the main portion of which consisted of Elvis on his own playing around with samples on lesser celebrated old songs and as yet unreleased WIWC material which left my wife convinced the great man was having a public mid life breakdown. The Imposters were the surprise encore act, tearing through mainly vintage Attractions material as I recall. The surprise was somewhat spoiled by there being no stage curtain at the South Bank so we all saw the band's kit being revealed from behind 'open plan office' type dividers - not quite as rock'n'roll as the Attractions encore arrival at Glastonbury that I've heard about from legends of yore: a curtain falling to reveal them at the opening chord on the word 'too' at the end of the first line of I'll bet everyone knows which song.

(Aside: I met a couple in the queue for the Astoria who'd had to leave the Meltdown gig before the encore to get the last train home, which they were peeved about I can tell you...)

Now, Davey; smashing chap, mate of Pete's, great bassist and backing vocalist but IMHO not as full of fire and bravura inventiveness as Pete or Steve...or Bruce. In short, not quite their equal. Granted, he's had a difficult job in one sense on the Revolver concerts, as the lions share of material predates him but my quibble still stands. Perhaps this post is erring towards the 'Anyone else miss Bruce's bass playing' thread I saw on this board a while back but fact remains I feel he's not as wildly original as Bruce, evident pain in the arse though the latter was to our man (and general dull bugger from a read of his website). I'd be keen to hear other opinions on Davey's role. My evidence is my own eyes and ears, often fixed on Steve and Pete during the Revolver gigs I attended, not so much on Davey, whereas they were on Bruce during the Brutal and Beauty years (I was a late comer to the band's charms and missed the early years I'm afraid). That'll do for now.

EDIT / POSTSCRIPT - Actually I was unfair, Davey shone brightly on Spooky Girlfriend and much else at Cambridge last weekend. Be interested to hear what others feel he's brought to the band.

[Man out of Time]

Review of the first "Imposters" show on April 15, 2002 at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, written by Marloes van Wierst and published in online magazine 8Weekly.

" Costello struikelt in zijn haast
RECENSIE: Elvis Costello live

Met Elvis Costello weet je het nooit. De ene keer is hij buitengewoon charismatisch en speelt hij de sterren van de hemel, dan is hij weer nukkig en kortaf. In een uitverkocht Paradiso lijkt Costello deze keer zijn draai niet te kunnen vinden en een enorme haast te hebben om terug te keren naar zijn hotel. En dat terwijl dit concert geldt als startschot van Costello’s tournee die een jaar gaat duren. Een snelle start…

Geen geouwehoer
Een zwerver bedelt om 15 cent bij de mensen die zich voor Paradiso verzamelen. Een vrouw verzucht medelijdend: “Dat vind ik toch zo zielig.” In Paradiso zijn de zitplaatsen op het balkon als eerste gevuld, terwijl de zaal nog half leeg is. Opvallend veel grijze hoofden en -net zo opvallend- weinig sigarettenrook.

Costello-publiek is duidelijk wat ouder en wellicht wijzer en daarbij buitengewoon beschaafd. Geen geouwehoer door de muziek heen, keurig wachten met klappen en juichen tot een nummer is afgelopen. Hier en daar wordt voorzichtig een dansje gewaagd voor het podium. Misschien zit het Costello dwars dat zijn publiek niet meer uit angry young men bestaat? Wil hij met zijn nogal up-tempo repertoire laten zien dat hij het nog wel is? Wie zal het zeggen.

When I Was Cruel
Stipt om half 9 loopt Costello met zijn band The Imposters het podium op. De band bestaat bijna uit zijn oude band The Attractions, met drummer Pete Thomas en pianist/toetsenist Steve Nieve. Alleen bassist Bruce Thomas ontbreekt. Die werd vervangen nadat hij in een boek wat nare uitlatingen over Elvis had gedaan. De nieuwe bassist Davey Faragher doet het echter uitstekend en is ook niet vies van het spelen met effecten, zo blijkt later.

Het is even stil voordat Costello, gekleed in een sober zwart pak en een bril met oranje glazen, zijn bijtend nasale stem de microfoon in knalt: “Accidents will happen”. Na wat oude up-tempo nummertjes komen al snel de nieuwe songs aan bod van de afgelopen weekend onverwachts uitgekomen CD When I Was Cruel, zijn eerste plaat in zeven jaar. De schijf werd pas 23 april verwacht, maar lag afgelopen weekend plots al in de schappen. Opvallend is dat een groot deel van het publiek de nieuwe songs meezingt! Costello speelt bijna alles van de nieuwe CD.

Nukkig en angry
Deze avond heeft Costello duidelijk geen zin in langzame, gevoelige songs: alles wordt up-tempo gespeeld. De man met de bril sjeest in een noodgang door de set van die avond, zegt nauwelijks wat tussendoor. Galmt wel een paar seconden lang She (een nogal commerciële cover van een lied van Charles Aznavour, waarmee Costello een paar jaar terug bij een groot publiek scoorde dankzij de soundtrack van de film Notting Hill). Daarna mompelt hij nukkig iets van “No more of that shit”, en zet weer een nieuwe snelheidsmaniak in. Angry is hij dus nog steeds. Tegelijkertijd onderstreept Costello zijn antiheld-imago op subtiele wijze met het prijskaartje dat nog aan een van zijn (vele) gitaren hangt. Alsof hij hem net nog even gejat heeft.

De koek is op
Nieuwe nummers als 45, Spooky Girlfriend, het liefdeslied Tart (Costello blijft grappig) en het slepende When I Was Cruel No.2, met een te gekke sample en een Satie-pingeltje van Steve Nieve, komen voorbij in hoog tempo. Naast het nieuwe repertoire speelt hij vrijwel alleen oud werk, niets uit eind 80-er of begin 90-er jaren. En niets van de nummers die hij samen met Burt Bacherach maakte.

Technisch gezien is er niks op het concert aan te merken, iedere noot zit op zijn plaats. Maar de magie ontbreekt deze avond, het wil maar niet komen. Er wordt teveel gehaast, en dat is zelden goed. Op het moment dat Costello nog verder door had moeten gaan om het publiek en zichzelf werkelijk op te warmen (het had nog kunnen gebeuren), stapt hij opeens van het podium af. Hij is door zijn set heen, de koek is op. Niet te geloven, het concert heeft amper een uur geduurd!

Oranje bebrilde antiheld
Natuurlijk komt Elvis terug, maar pas na tien minuten luid applaudisserend en gillend publiek, dat uiteraard meer muziek wil horen in ruil voor het duur (35 euro!) betaalde kaartje. Costello continueert met Alibi, waarna nog twee nummers volgen. De band wordt vlug voorgesteld en de oranje bebrilde antiheld verdwijnt weer van het toneel, om voor een tweede keer terug te worden geroepen.

Tot grote vreugde van het publiek speelt Costello dan uiteindelijk nog zijn grote hit I Want You. Niet slecht gespeeld, maar ik heb het hem wel eens (veel) beter horen doen. Het publiek neemt evenwel genoegen met deze middelmatige uitvoering en gaat uit haar dak. Dan is het afgelopen. Dankzij het gejakker van de heer Costello struikelen wij om tien uur alweer naar buiten, de regen in.
----
Elvis Costello
Prijs: €
Gezien op maandag 15 april 2002 in Paradiso, Amsterdam"

Or in "English" via Google Translate:

"Costello stumbles in his hurry
REVIEW: Elvis Costello live

With Elvis Costello you never know. The one time he is extremely charismatic and he plays the stars of heaven, then he is freakish and curt. In a sold-out Paradiso, Costello seems unable to find his way this time and to be in a hurry to return to his hotel. And that while this concert counts as the launch of Costello's tour that will last a year. A quick start ...

No bullshit
A wanderer begs for 15 cents from the people who gather for Paradiso. A woman sighs compassionately: "I think that's so sad." In Paradiso, the seats on the balcony are the first to be filled, while the room is still half empty. Strikingly many gray heads and - just as striking - little cigarette smoke.

The Costello audience is clearly a bit older and perhaps wiser and, at the same time, extremely civilized. No bullshit through the music, neat waiting with clapping and cheering until a song ends. Here and there, a dance is carefully dared in front of the stage. Maybe it costs Costello that his audience no longer consists of angry young people? Does he want to show with his rather up-tempo repertoire that it is still him? Who will say.

When I Was Cruel
Right at 8.30 Costello and his band The Imposters are on stage. The band almost consists of his old band The Attractions, with drummer Pete Thomas and pianist / keyboard player Steve Nieve. Only bass player Bruce Thomas is missing. It was replaced after he had made some nasty statements about Elvis in a book. The new bass player Davey Faragher, however, is doing great and is not averse to playing with effects, as it turns out.

It is quiet for a while before Costello, dressed in a sober black suit and glasses with orange glasses, pops his corrosive nasal voice into the microphone: "Accidents will happen". After some old up-tempo songs, the new songs from the last weekend are unexpectedly released. When I Was Cruel , his first album in seven years. The disc was not expected until April 23, but was suddenly on the shelves last weekend. It is striking that a large part of the audience sing the new songs along! Costello plays almost everything from the new CD.

Nasty and angry
This evening Costello clearly does not feel like slow, sensitive songs: everything is played up-tempo. The man with the glasses rushes through the set of the evening in an emergency, hardly says anything in between. A few seconds long She (a rather commercial cover of a song by Charles Aznavour, with which Costello scored a few years ago with a large audience thanks to the soundtrack of the film Notting Hill). Then he mumbles something like "No more of that shit", and starts using a new speed maniac. So he is still angry. At the same time, Costello subtly underlines his anti-hero image with the price tag that still hangs on one of his (many) guitars. As if he just stole it from him.

The cake is finished
New songs like 45, Spooky Girlfriend, the love song Tart (Costello remains funny) and the lingering When I Was Cruel No.2, with an awesome sample and a Satie-pingeltje by Steve Nieve, come by at a fast pace. In addition to the new repertoire, he plays almost exclusively old work, nothing from the late 80s or early 90s. And none of the songs he made with Burt Bacherach.

Technically there is nothing to criticize at the concert, every note is in its place. But the magic is missing this evening, it just won't come. Too much is rushed, and that is rarely good. The moment Costello should have gone even further to really warm up the audience and himself (it could have happened), he suddenly steps off the stage. He has finished his set, the cake is gone. I can't believe the concert lasted barely an hour!

Orange spectacled anti-hero
Of course Elvis returns, but only after ten minutes of loud applauding and screaming audiences, who naturally want to hear more music in exchange for the expensive (35 euros!) Paid ticket. Costello continues with Alibi, followed by two more songs. The band is quickly introduced and the orange spectacled anti-hero disappears from the scene again, to be called back for a second time.

To the delight of the audience, Costello finally plays his big hit I Want You. Not badly played, but I have heard him do (much) better. The public, however, is satisfied with this mediocre performance and goes crazy. Then it's over. Thanks to Mr. Costello's whining, we stumble out into the rain at ten o'clock.

Elvis Costello
Price: €
Viewed on Monday April 15, 2002 in Paradiso, Amsterdam."

The original online articles seems to have had some photos embedded, which are not longer available sadly. Reviewer makes some of the same points as Joyce did (above). Interesting that the show was so short. Perhaps Elvis was keen to quit while he was ahead with this first night of the tour. Was "I Want You" really a big hit in the Netherlands? Curious.

MOOT