Elvis solo, Swansea (Wales), July 11, 2014

[sweetest punch]

http://www.elviscostello.com/homepage#/dance-card


July 11, 2014

Swansea, Wales
The Brangwyn Hall
Tickets on sale 02/04/14

[Man out of Time]

Preview in South Wales Evening Post:

"Elvis Costello is top attraction for Brangwyn Hall reopening
By South Wales Evening Post | Posted: April 01, 2014

ONE of the biggest names in British music over the last 30 years is heading to Swansea.

Grammy award-winner Elvis Costello will play a special one-man show on July 11 at the Brangwyn Hall.

It will be one of the first big events to be staged at the venue following its £5 million restoration, scheduled to finish at the end of June.

Costello started out in London's pub rock scene in the early 1970s and became associated with the first wave of the British Punk and New Wave movement of the mid-to-late 1970s. Following an acclaimed debut album, My Aim Is True in 1976. He hooked up with The Attractions as his backing band, but has been largely a solo artist since 1986. July's show should see huge crowds descend on the city from across the UK as it is one of just a handful the singer is staging in his summer tour. There will also be financial spin-offs for Swansea as a result. The Brangwyn project is one part of an overall £25 million scheme at the Guildhall aimed at conserving the historic building and making sure its future is safe.

Councillor Nick Bradley, Swansea Council's cabinet member for regeneration, said Costello was what he called "a music icon for a generation and his appearance there would add to a fantastic summer of culture and entertainment in Swansea that already includes Katherine Jenkins at Singleton Park."

Pablo Janczur, director of the company Orchard, which is bringing the show to Swansea, said: "Elvis Costello has global musical appeal, so we are excited that he has chosen the Brangwyn Hall for the start of a very small solo tour, where audiences can experience just Elvis and his guitar running through his long catalogue of hits. It should be a special night."

Costello fan Ash Woodward, from Manselton in Swansea, said: " It's great that concerts are on their way back to the Brangwyn and even better that the first one will be by Elvis Costello himself." "

"He ... has been largely a solo artist since 1986"

This will be news to The Imposters, The Rude Five, The Brodsky Quartet, The Sugarcanes, The Confederates, The Attractions, The Roots etc etc....

MOOT

[johnfoyle]

Who's going?

[Fishfinger king]

Eldest daughter lives in Swansea, so good excuse for me and the Fishfinger Queen to visit for the weekend.
So, yes, me!

[bronxapostle]

awesome Fishfinger royalty!! ENJOY...and don't forget to keep the setlist please!

[sulky lad]

Anyone got a spare ticket ?

[bronxapostle]

Anyone got a spare ticket ?

oh sulky.... hope you get one!!!!

[sulky lad]

thanks, BA, I'd been watching one seat wide out on row F on ticket master but it went tonight and all that's left are tickets way back. I'll try the concert venue on Thursday and see if there are any returns but if not I may have to bite the bullet and settle for row AA !!!

[JONPD]

I'm going too.

[sulky lad]

Whoopee, found a row F seat from the hall , got 2 hours off from work , I'll be there

[bronxapostle]

that's the way we do shit in THE BRONX sulky! ENJOY THE NIGHT! can't wait to add to setlist thread tomorrow. pick ONE song you want tomorrow...would love to hear your selection.

[sulky lad]

I've always had a thing about Dr Luther but that's partly because of the way he slurs his vocals. A slow version of Clowntime Is Over would be epic for me or Anything VG hasn't heard . Only joking !

[Fishfinger king]

Hope to meet up Sulky - we're in row E 25 & 26.
Buoyed up by Alexis Sanchez signing!!!!

[sulky lad]

After all the fussing with electronic tickets and stuff, I've just strolled through unchallenged to my seat ! Great hall with seats like a school hall, huge high ceiling with neo -Roman mosaic pillars. Only 1 guitar on stage , but several being set up by the roadie. All youngsters on the mixing desk , just taken 3 1/2 hours to get here, late night home methinks !

[sulky lad]

Milo just strolled on stage

[bronxapostle]

unchallenged !

LOVE this word!!!!!!!!
is it show time sulky???

[sulky lad]

All over within 2 hours, troubles with feedback on all electric guitars, 25 songs in total, only rarity as far as I recall was Wave A White Flag - more than a little disappointed !

[bronxapostle]

bummer...HATE when he has trouble w/ his guitars. HE GETS PISSED! SORRY SULKY! hope you got another show.

[And No Coffee Table]

a bit of "Jimmie Standing In The Rain": http://www.flickr.com/photos/deltawhiskey/14444057168/

Comments on Twitter are universally positive (but they may not realize the show was shorter than usual):

Elvis Costello. Utterly brilliant. Yet again. Get Cameron out. ‪#votecostello‬

Elvis Costello was superb this evening, class act ‪#elvis‬ ‪#costello‬ ‪#brangwynhall‬

Elvis Costello is the man! He is the most amazing performer! So much love!

Wow. I am now a huge fan of Elvis Costello. His concert was AMAZING!

Just seen a superb Elvis Costello concert at Brangwyn Hall Swansea - the 10th time I've been to one of his concerts.

Fantastic solo version of 'watching the detectives' by ‪@elviscostello‬ tonight. Very dark. As it should be...

The mighty ‪@ElvisCostello‬ was awesome in Swansea's ‪#BrangwynHall‬ tonight

[verbal gymnastics]

Shame it was such a short show. The worst thing is is that there's no show tomorrow to get it right. I still think he'll be at Neil Young's show in Liverpool on Sunday.

I was saying to sulky that this is a tour that I haven't managed to get excited about. The last couple of years have been great with board members because of the Songbook shows but this year has been odd. I think most of us are meeting up but there hasn't been the same level of excitement on the board.

[And No Coffee Table]

Photo gallery: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk ... tures.html

[bronxapostle]

is WALES another place with NO pens and paper??? SETLISTS PEOPLE!!!

[sulky lad]

Come on BA, you should trust your Sulky !

[sulky lad]

Setlist : - on English paper and NHS Sharpie !!

01. Jack Of All Parades
02. Green Shirt
03. Either Side Of The Same Town
04. Accidents Will Happen
05. Poison Moon
06. Girls Talk
07. Good Year For The Roses
08. Ascension Day
09. New Amsterdam - You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
10. Everyday I Write The Book
11. Walking My Baby Back Home
12. Ghost Train
13. You Took Advantage Of Me ?
14. She
15. Watching The Detectives
16. Alison
Leave stage - about 20% of audience leave, no great applause and no hollering for encores
Roadie calls EC back quickly, some return hard to see how many.

Encore 1
17. Shipbuilding
18. Oliver's Army
19. Last Year Of My Youth
20. Jimmie Standing In The Rain - Brother Can You Spare A Dime
Leaves again, now a standing ovation

Encore 2
21. The Comedians
22. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
23. Wave A White Flag
24. Blue Chair (audience request - the lady behind me hollered for it !)
25. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding


Sorry about the miscounting,25 songs rather than 23 (I'd written down 14 twice on my list in the darkness !)

Still feeling somewhat deflated by this -
I'd really hoped for a show in an out of the way place ( where he hasn't played since November 1980),
where EC was afforded the opportunity to perform some really obscure or very new tracks. The electric guitars gave
little bits of feedback which the roadie seemed to think was due to one of Elvis' pedals but when he tried to do WTD there was still a very noticeable hum when he moved the guitar towards the microphones. He didn't get as ratty as I've seen him be in the past with his roadies but it definitely threw him out of sync.
It felt very strange when he first left the stage to see everyone get ready to leave and a real lack of cheering and calling for encores so when he came back it seemed to surprise so many people ! It felt like a crowd who weren't used to seeing "rock" concerts !!
Afterwards there were about 50 or 60 people waiting to get photos and autographs and eventually I was able to get him to sign a ticket stub and I said I'd loved his version of The Comedians and he laughed and said "Thanks, I was trying to think of what sings I could do with the acoustic !" My highlights were definitely The Comedians, Wave A White Flag, he laughed about it being a song he wrote when he shared a house with a couple who's theme was along the lines of I Want To Make Wild Love With You and he said he gauged what the audience was like in response to the song. I didn't have the courage to shout for "White Knuckles".
Having a 3 hour drive home, with massive toothache, I went to bed debating whether to go to Bexhill on Thursday or night and I'm still not sure if a massive drive of over 5 hours is worth it - and I've never felt like this before for an EC concert !!
My recording seems to be fine, the new Church Audio mikes have been fine so hopefully will be on dime before the end of the week !

[verbal gymnastics]

Sulky - of course you've got to go to Bexhill. Swansea was only a warm up for the rock'n'roll Valhalla that is the De la Warr pavilion.

Thanks for the review. At least you got to speak to Elvis so it wasn't a complete loss.