Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Who's going?
Last edited by johnfoyle on Thu Mar 12, 2015 5:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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snarling pup
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- Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:04 am
- Location: FL, USA
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015
I'll be there.
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015
http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/mu ... hy/2220876
Interview: Elvis Costello's aim is still true
Jay Cridlin
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
An Elvis Costello story, from Emmylou Harris:
"We were doing an outdoor show, I think it was in Pittsburgh, and right in the middle of the set this train went by, making this horrendous noise that trains make," Harris said. "And Elvis is never going to be stopped by anything. He just immediately, on his own, went into (Elvis Presley's) Mystery Train. And the whole band came in with him, and I started singing with him, and after that, that became part of our set."
Over the phone from New York, Costello cackles at the memory.
"That's exactly right!" he exclaims. "She remembers it exactly right. The train track runs right behind the stage in Pittsburgh. It's funny that she should remember that. I've seen it happen to my wife (jazz singer Diana Krall) as well, but she's got a few more tunes. She played Take the A Train when that happened. You've got to think on your feet in this business, you know?"
Few do it as well as Costello, the irascible, irrepressible New Wave icon who, at age 60, is as feisty as ever on the live concert stage. Nearly 40 years and 30 albums into an iconoclastic career, the English songsmith born Declan McManus still loves to zig when the world expects a zag, especially when he's out on the road in America.
Many of his tours these days — such as his current solo Detour, which hits Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday — are, like the man himself, freewheeling and unpredictable, with Costello reaching deep into his catalog to play whatever song moves him at the moment. His last Clearwater show, in 2012, was part of his Spectacular Spinning Songbook Tour, in which parts of his set list were dictated by a giant twirling wheel at center stage.
Like Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam or any artist who performs without a carved-in-stone set list, Costello's goal with each gig is to hit that improvisatory sweet spot between anticipation and surprise, yielding moments of pure, spontaneous delight. Each night before a paying audience is an "opportunity," he says, "to give them something they haven't seen before."
"I like to give the feeling it can go anywhere," he says. "That's why the tour is titled Detour. It invites the thought that we could go anywhere — and let's go there, you know?"
• • •
When Elvis Costello dies, every televised obituary, every in memoriam newsreel, surely will spin the famous clip from his 1977 appearance on Saturday Night Live. Costello, then largely unknown in America, sabotaged his own performance by abruptly cutting off his new single Less Than Zero after a few bars ("I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here.") and ripping into Radio Radio instead. That incident resulted in a 12-year ban from SNL, but it also established his rep as a showman: a smirking instigator with the spectacles of a chemist but the bird-flipping soul of a punk.
That image has persisted, and Costello has largely lived up to it — his sprawling discography veers wildly from genre to genre, including collaborative albums with artists as disparate as Burt Bacharach, Allen Toussaint and the Roots. His latest endeavor is the New Basement Tapes, a folk-rock supergroup — featuring, among others, Mumford and Sons' Marcus Mumford and My Morning Jacket's Jim James — that gave life to a collection of once-lost Bob Dylan lyrics from the '60s.
As Costello puts it: "Life's a long time, and you need more than one type of song to get through it."
But as a live performer, Costello says, he has grown out of 1977's "more confrontational point of view. When you're young and you're full of yourself and you're up on self-importance, you kind of go, 'We've got something new here, and you'd better listen to us.' That gets old and it becomes a routine. That becomes an act."
So you grow, and you mature, and as your fan base expands, you play the hits as expected — and over time, that becomes an act, too. "A lot of people come out and they have one show and they have all their light cues worked out, their backing tracks all programmed, and that's all well and good if that's the kind of show you want to go and see," Costello says. "But that's not the kind of show I do."
Okay. So what kind of show does Costello do?
"I'm up there with my songs," he says, "and I have the guitars and the instruments that I need to play them. I have about five shows laid out. I have lists of things. But they're only just sort of a guide. I'll say, 'I'm going to go this way tonight, because that's what this theater looks like, or that's the way I'm feeling today.' And then something happens, and it takes you off in a different direction. Sometimes people call for something, and you play that song, and in the playing of that song, it suggests the mood of another song, or the story of another song."
Every decision Costello makes on stage affects each concert in ways even he doesn't always see coming.
When he sits instead of stands: "You play the guitar differently when you're sitting down. You sing differently, and maybe you talk a little bit more intimately."
When he moves to the piano: "I'm relatively limited at that instrument, but it is one on which I write a lot, so if you want to hear how the songs truthfully go, that's when you're going to hear them."
When he feels the audience beginning to drift: "Then it's time to get up and make a noise and get people's blood pumping a bit — and your own."
Cynics have argued — perhaps "because of the variety of things I've done," he says — that all of this may sound too rehearsed to be real, that over a lifetime of live performance, Costello has grown too calculating, too detached from his 23-year-old self, to unleash another Radio Radio moment on the world.
Ever the contrarian, Costello argues that rock music has no orthodox definition, that a richly learned and lived-in performance can be just as moving as one that's spur of the moment.
"You can start to elevate the idea of 'rock and roll,' or some sort of raw, spontaneous performance, as being the only true way to do it," he says. "That's kind of a boring way to be, I think, is that there's only one way to play. Orthodoxy is the enemy of what I do."
• • •
Costello's Ruth Eckerd Hall gig is the first of two he'll play in Tampa Bay in 2015. He'll be back with a full band, the Imposters, opening for Steely Dan on Aug. 11 at Tampa's MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. At that show, hits like Alison, Veronica and (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding will surely sound more like their old, familiar selves.
But does that make them better? Costello isn't so sure. At a solo concert last year at Carnegie Hall, he introduced 1983's Everyday I Write the Book, his first Top 40 single in the States, by announcing: "I'm going to play you a song now that I really hate. I wrote it in 10 minutes, and then it was a hit."
Nothing against trotting out the hits — Costello still plays them every night — but there's a difference between playing Radio Radio because you have to, and playing it because it feels right and true in that moment. Embracing this has brought Costello "a lot of joy" on these solo and Spectacular Spinning Songbook tours.
"I think it's made the performances more emotional and stronger in the last few years, because I've been following my instincts instead of starting out, 'Well, I must play that. I have an obligation to play that song,' " he says. "You've got to earn the right to play the songs. Even the ones that people think they want to hear because they're famous, you can easily confuse yourself about that, and then you're playing the songs for cheap applause. Why would you do that? That's cheating the people who've bought the tickets."
It's risky to play Radio Radio on Saturday Night Live, to assume your band can keep up with your lead on Mystery Train, to walk on stage all alone without knowing exactly what you're about to play.
It's also the only way Elvis Costello cares to live.
"I'd rather take the risk and occasionally stumble," he says, "than take no risk at all."
Contact Jay Cridlin at jcridlin@tampabay.com.
Interview: Elvis Costello's aim is still true
Jay Cridlin
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
An Elvis Costello story, from Emmylou Harris:
"We were doing an outdoor show, I think it was in Pittsburgh, and right in the middle of the set this train went by, making this horrendous noise that trains make," Harris said. "And Elvis is never going to be stopped by anything. He just immediately, on his own, went into (Elvis Presley's) Mystery Train. And the whole band came in with him, and I started singing with him, and after that, that became part of our set."
Over the phone from New York, Costello cackles at the memory.
"That's exactly right!" he exclaims. "She remembers it exactly right. The train track runs right behind the stage in Pittsburgh. It's funny that she should remember that. I've seen it happen to my wife (jazz singer Diana Krall) as well, but she's got a few more tunes. She played Take the A Train when that happened. You've got to think on your feet in this business, you know?"
Few do it as well as Costello, the irascible, irrepressible New Wave icon who, at age 60, is as feisty as ever on the live concert stage. Nearly 40 years and 30 albums into an iconoclastic career, the English songsmith born Declan McManus still loves to zig when the world expects a zag, especially when he's out on the road in America.
Many of his tours these days — such as his current solo Detour, which hits Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday — are, like the man himself, freewheeling and unpredictable, with Costello reaching deep into his catalog to play whatever song moves him at the moment. His last Clearwater show, in 2012, was part of his Spectacular Spinning Songbook Tour, in which parts of his set list were dictated by a giant twirling wheel at center stage.
Like Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam or any artist who performs without a carved-in-stone set list, Costello's goal with each gig is to hit that improvisatory sweet spot between anticipation and surprise, yielding moments of pure, spontaneous delight. Each night before a paying audience is an "opportunity," he says, "to give them something they haven't seen before."
"I like to give the feeling it can go anywhere," he says. "That's why the tour is titled Detour. It invites the thought that we could go anywhere — and let's go there, you know?"
• • •
When Elvis Costello dies, every televised obituary, every in memoriam newsreel, surely will spin the famous clip from his 1977 appearance on Saturday Night Live. Costello, then largely unknown in America, sabotaged his own performance by abruptly cutting off his new single Less Than Zero after a few bars ("I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here.") and ripping into Radio Radio instead. That incident resulted in a 12-year ban from SNL, but it also established his rep as a showman: a smirking instigator with the spectacles of a chemist but the bird-flipping soul of a punk.
That image has persisted, and Costello has largely lived up to it — his sprawling discography veers wildly from genre to genre, including collaborative albums with artists as disparate as Burt Bacharach, Allen Toussaint and the Roots. His latest endeavor is the New Basement Tapes, a folk-rock supergroup — featuring, among others, Mumford and Sons' Marcus Mumford and My Morning Jacket's Jim James — that gave life to a collection of once-lost Bob Dylan lyrics from the '60s.
As Costello puts it: "Life's a long time, and you need more than one type of song to get through it."
But as a live performer, Costello says, he has grown out of 1977's "more confrontational point of view. When you're young and you're full of yourself and you're up on self-importance, you kind of go, 'We've got something new here, and you'd better listen to us.' That gets old and it becomes a routine. That becomes an act."
So you grow, and you mature, and as your fan base expands, you play the hits as expected — and over time, that becomes an act, too. "A lot of people come out and they have one show and they have all their light cues worked out, their backing tracks all programmed, and that's all well and good if that's the kind of show you want to go and see," Costello says. "But that's not the kind of show I do."
Okay. So what kind of show does Costello do?
"I'm up there with my songs," he says, "and I have the guitars and the instruments that I need to play them. I have about five shows laid out. I have lists of things. But they're only just sort of a guide. I'll say, 'I'm going to go this way tonight, because that's what this theater looks like, or that's the way I'm feeling today.' And then something happens, and it takes you off in a different direction. Sometimes people call for something, and you play that song, and in the playing of that song, it suggests the mood of another song, or the story of another song."
Every decision Costello makes on stage affects each concert in ways even he doesn't always see coming.
When he sits instead of stands: "You play the guitar differently when you're sitting down. You sing differently, and maybe you talk a little bit more intimately."
When he moves to the piano: "I'm relatively limited at that instrument, but it is one on which I write a lot, so if you want to hear how the songs truthfully go, that's when you're going to hear them."
When he feels the audience beginning to drift: "Then it's time to get up and make a noise and get people's blood pumping a bit — and your own."
Cynics have argued — perhaps "because of the variety of things I've done," he says — that all of this may sound too rehearsed to be real, that over a lifetime of live performance, Costello has grown too calculating, too detached from his 23-year-old self, to unleash another Radio Radio moment on the world.
Ever the contrarian, Costello argues that rock music has no orthodox definition, that a richly learned and lived-in performance can be just as moving as one that's spur of the moment.
"You can start to elevate the idea of 'rock and roll,' or some sort of raw, spontaneous performance, as being the only true way to do it," he says. "That's kind of a boring way to be, I think, is that there's only one way to play. Orthodoxy is the enemy of what I do."
• • •
Costello's Ruth Eckerd Hall gig is the first of two he'll play in Tampa Bay in 2015. He'll be back with a full band, the Imposters, opening for Steely Dan on Aug. 11 at Tampa's MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. At that show, hits like Alison, Veronica and (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding will surely sound more like their old, familiar selves.
But does that make them better? Costello isn't so sure. At a solo concert last year at Carnegie Hall, he introduced 1983's Everyday I Write the Book, his first Top 40 single in the States, by announcing: "I'm going to play you a song now that I really hate. I wrote it in 10 minutes, and then it was a hit."
Nothing against trotting out the hits — Costello still plays them every night — but there's a difference between playing Radio Radio because you have to, and playing it because it feels right and true in that moment. Embracing this has brought Costello "a lot of joy" on these solo and Spectacular Spinning Songbook tours.
"I think it's made the performances more emotional and stronger in the last few years, because I've been following my instincts instead of starting out, 'Well, I must play that. I have an obligation to play that song,' " he says. "You've got to earn the right to play the songs. Even the ones that people think they want to hear because they're famous, you can easily confuse yourself about that, and then you're playing the songs for cheap applause. Why would you do that? That's cheating the people who've bought the tickets."
It's risky to play Radio Radio on Saturday Night Live, to assume your band can keep up with your lead on Mystery Train, to walk on stage all alone without knowing exactly what you're about to play.
It's also the only way Elvis Costello cares to live.
"I'd rather take the risk and occasionally stumble," he says, "than take no risk at all."
Contact Jay Cridlin at jcridlin@tampabay.com.
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Apparently the print edition of the Sunday edition of this 'paper will have a poster of this painting by Steve Madden of Elvis
https://instagram.com/p/0GR1biSa4o/
https://instagram.com/p/0GR1biSa4o/
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Larkin Poe, via f/book
We're back!!! || TONIGHT: the historic Ruth Eckerd Hall with Elvis Costello. It's 76 and sunny here in Clearwater, FL... We don't know what to do with our pale faces. #ghosts
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And No Coffee Table
- Posts: 3524
- Joined: Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:57 pm
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
This reads suspiciously like the reviewer was rushing to meet a deadline prior to the end of the show.
http://tbo.com/arts_music/elvis-costell ... -20150316/
Elvis Costello surprises, captivates at Ruth Eckerd Hall
BY CHRISTOPHER O’DONNELL
Tribune staff
Published: March 16, 2015
CLEARWATER — Whether it was fronting the Attraction or the Imposters, it’s always been Elvis Costello’s show.
So it makes perfect sense that the 60-year-old veteran performer is at home performing solo on stage.
Costello’s “Detour” solo show hit Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday night, and the New Wave singer turned crooner showed he still has the capacity to surprise an audience.
Concert-goers, mostly middle-aged professionals sprinkled with some younger fans, arrived to vintage Costello music videos playing on a 15-by-20 foot circa early 1970s fake TV.
After supporting act Larkin Poe, Costello strolled onstage dressed in a suit and white pork-pie hat.
The crowd was singing along by the end of his opening song (Angels wanna wear ) Red Shoes.
Onstage, stripped of any backing, Costello’s voice takes center stage. Warm and undimmed by the years, he can still wring emotion from every phrase as on a plaintive version of “Shipbuilding,” with Costello switching from guitar to piano.
And almost every song has a story behind it such as a late night taxi trip that spawned “Accidents will Happen.”
It’s been almost 40 years since the Grammy winner came to prominence in England, separating himself from the post-punk pack with his spiky mix of clever word play and accomplished song writing. That creativity shows no sign of abating.
Costello aficionados have another chance to catch Costello in the Bay area this June when he is scheduled to open for Steely Dan at Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. Then he will trade the pared-down reflective interpretations of his back catalog for a more traditional show with his backing band The Imposters in tow.
http://tbo.com/arts_music/elvis-costell ... -20150316/
Elvis Costello surprises, captivates at Ruth Eckerd Hall
BY CHRISTOPHER O’DONNELL
Tribune staff
Published: March 16, 2015
CLEARWATER — Whether it was fronting the Attraction or the Imposters, it’s always been Elvis Costello’s show.
So it makes perfect sense that the 60-year-old veteran performer is at home performing solo on stage.
Costello’s “Detour” solo show hit Ruth Eckerd Hall on Monday night, and the New Wave singer turned crooner showed he still has the capacity to surprise an audience.
Concert-goers, mostly middle-aged professionals sprinkled with some younger fans, arrived to vintage Costello music videos playing on a 15-by-20 foot circa early 1970s fake TV.
After supporting act Larkin Poe, Costello strolled onstage dressed in a suit and white pork-pie hat.
The crowd was singing along by the end of his opening song (Angels wanna wear ) Red Shoes.
Onstage, stripped of any backing, Costello’s voice takes center stage. Warm and undimmed by the years, he can still wring emotion from every phrase as on a plaintive version of “Shipbuilding,” with Costello switching from guitar to piano.
And almost every song has a story behind it such as a late night taxi trip that spawned “Accidents will Happen.”
It’s been almost 40 years since the Grammy winner came to prominence in England, separating himself from the post-punk pack with his spiky mix of clever word play and accomplished song writing. That creativity shows no sign of abating.
Costello aficionados have another chance to catch Costello in the Bay area this June when he is scheduled to open for Steely Dan at Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. Then he will trade the pared-down reflective interpretations of his back catalog for a more traditional show with his backing band The Imposters in tow.
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docinwestchester
- Posts: 2321
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
- Location: Westchester County, NY
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Jack Curry hosts the NY Yankees pre- and post-game shows on TV.Jack Curry @JackCurryYES · 11m11 minutes ago
I want to thank @ElvisCostello for scheduling a show in Clearwater on a night the Yankees were off. Tremendous, innovative performer.
I'm not a Yankees fan, but he's clearly a cool guy.
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docinwestchester
- Posts: 2321
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
- Location: Westchester County, NY
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Brian's photos, via f/book
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/soundchec ... th/2221639
Photo Brian Mahar - more at link
Review: Elvis Costello owns the room with compelling solo show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater
Jay Cridlin
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
You probably don’t remember the episode of Frasier in which Café Nervosa is overtaken by a boisterous songwriter played by Elvis Costello, prompting the good doctors Crane to seek refuge and cappuccino elsewhere. But I recently caught it on cable, and after watching Costello conquer a much larger room in much the same manner, I now sympathize with Frasier and Niles. When Elvis Costello is on stage, even all by his lonesome, there’s no looking anywhere else.
Costello proved this Monday at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater with a compelling one-man performance that showcased the legendary depth of his songbook, even when each track was stripped more or less to its core. He’s a showman, even solo, and even when he plays to a venue maybe three-quarters full, he gives those who paid every penny’s worth.
Concerts on Costello’s solo “Detour” have been sprawling, two- and three-encore drag-outs, peppered with deep cuts, covers and stories from his life with a pen. With “three or four hundred” songs in his repertoire, Costello could’ve gone all night – and he very nearly did, shuffling through nearly 30 songs over 2 1/2 hours, outlasting many in the audience. And still the evening blew right by, with Costello dusting off chestnuts and polishing old favorites until they sounded as fresh as the day they were written.
Costello’s stage resembled a mini-Pee-wee’s Playhouse seemingly designed to indulge his every musical whim – at least a half-dozen guitars, megaphones, microphones, effects pedals and a piano, all flanking a giant old-school tube TV called the Lupe-O-Tone.
As Costello informed fans early on, his job on this night was to pen a story from the songs he felt inspired to play. What emerged was a loose theme of noir, of slinky Parisian jazz and jaunty folk from another era. After tweaking Clearwater for being the “weird sex capital of Florida,” he eased into the waltzy, smoky After the Fall; when the crowd started feeling its oats following Veronica, he sat down to pluck and whistle Nat King Cole’s leisurely Walkin’ My Baby Back Home. And a late version of the American standard Side By Side got a minor-key piano makeover, suiting it easily for a dank, downtrodden dive. As Costello ages, a husky huff has emerged from the nasal elasticity of his voice; these are the kinds of songs that employ it well.
The setlist was a treat for fans of every Costello era, from his work with both the Attractions and Imposters to songs from his collaborations with Allen Toussaint (the gently plucked Ascension Day), the Roots (the downhill rambler Come the Meantimes) and Burt Bacharach (He’s Given Me Things). Songs from his latest project, the Dylan-reinventing New Basement Tapes, appeared here and there, including Matthew Met Mary, a favorite of Costello’s that didn’t make the project’s 2014 album.
Even Elvis the O.G. punk dropped by for Watching the Detectives, a squealing, dissonant wall of guitars conjured up with a looping pedal that dissolved into avant-garde discord as Costello fired up a megaphone siren. “That’s the kind of music I get paid the big bucks to play,” he deadpanned.
Of course, that’s not true. Costello did deliver his hits, following Watching the Detectives a warm and inviting Everyday I Write the Book, and then, in his second encore, dropping three massive singles in a row – Alison, Radio Radio and Pump It Up – all from a stage inside the Lupe-O-Tone TV. If that was a commentary on how hit pop singles make Costello feel packaged and sold, it didn’t diminish his performance. The riffy reinvention of Pump It Up, in particular, was as cocksure as anything that later Angry Young Brits Oasis or Suede ever dreamed up.
Were there times when a tad more accompaniment might’ve added to the atmosphere? Perhaps. A Mumfordy spin on (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, one of several songs performed with sisterly, Southern Gothic show openers Larkin Poe, cried out for a kickdrum and tambourine. And oh, my kingdom for a Hammond B3 on the confessional Deep Dark Truthful Mirror!
But it’s hard to complain when Solo Elvis delivers a tune like Church Underground, a lonely, echoing, warbling ghost story whose evocative guitar tones were all Costello needed to captivate the crowd. As he sang, he’d pull away and reel the audience toward him, then step back to the mic and press them back into their seats. On Little Triggers, he took the game a step further by ripping knockout twangs on his six-string, then wandering to the lip of the stage to sing sans amplification, with only shared air between himself and the fans. These are the moments when you can barely breathe, let alone look away.
At the end of Church Underground, Costello rightfully doffed his dapper white cap, but only for a second. Any longer, and a flurry of tips might’ve come flying his way. The world, you see, is Elvis Costello’s coffeehouse. All he needs is a mic, any mic, and sooner or later, he’ll own the whole room.
Photo Brian Mahar - more at link
Review: Elvis Costello owns the room with compelling solo show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater
Jay Cridlin
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
You probably don’t remember the episode of Frasier in which Café Nervosa is overtaken by a boisterous songwriter played by Elvis Costello, prompting the good doctors Crane to seek refuge and cappuccino elsewhere. But I recently caught it on cable, and after watching Costello conquer a much larger room in much the same manner, I now sympathize with Frasier and Niles. When Elvis Costello is on stage, even all by his lonesome, there’s no looking anywhere else.
Costello proved this Monday at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater with a compelling one-man performance that showcased the legendary depth of his songbook, even when each track was stripped more or less to its core. He’s a showman, even solo, and even when he plays to a venue maybe three-quarters full, he gives those who paid every penny’s worth.
Concerts on Costello’s solo “Detour” have been sprawling, two- and three-encore drag-outs, peppered with deep cuts, covers and stories from his life with a pen. With “three or four hundred” songs in his repertoire, Costello could’ve gone all night – and he very nearly did, shuffling through nearly 30 songs over 2 1/2 hours, outlasting many in the audience. And still the evening blew right by, with Costello dusting off chestnuts and polishing old favorites until they sounded as fresh as the day they were written.
Costello’s stage resembled a mini-Pee-wee’s Playhouse seemingly designed to indulge his every musical whim – at least a half-dozen guitars, megaphones, microphones, effects pedals and a piano, all flanking a giant old-school tube TV called the Lupe-O-Tone.
As Costello informed fans early on, his job on this night was to pen a story from the songs he felt inspired to play. What emerged was a loose theme of noir, of slinky Parisian jazz and jaunty folk from another era. After tweaking Clearwater for being the “weird sex capital of Florida,” he eased into the waltzy, smoky After the Fall; when the crowd started feeling its oats following Veronica, he sat down to pluck and whistle Nat King Cole’s leisurely Walkin’ My Baby Back Home. And a late version of the American standard Side By Side got a minor-key piano makeover, suiting it easily for a dank, downtrodden dive. As Costello ages, a husky huff has emerged from the nasal elasticity of his voice; these are the kinds of songs that employ it well.
The setlist was a treat for fans of every Costello era, from his work with both the Attractions and Imposters to songs from his collaborations with Allen Toussaint (the gently plucked Ascension Day), the Roots (the downhill rambler Come the Meantimes) and Burt Bacharach (He’s Given Me Things). Songs from his latest project, the Dylan-reinventing New Basement Tapes, appeared here and there, including Matthew Met Mary, a favorite of Costello’s that didn’t make the project’s 2014 album.
Even Elvis the O.G. punk dropped by for Watching the Detectives, a squealing, dissonant wall of guitars conjured up with a looping pedal that dissolved into avant-garde discord as Costello fired up a megaphone siren. “That’s the kind of music I get paid the big bucks to play,” he deadpanned.
Of course, that’s not true. Costello did deliver his hits, following Watching the Detectives a warm and inviting Everyday I Write the Book, and then, in his second encore, dropping three massive singles in a row – Alison, Radio Radio and Pump It Up – all from a stage inside the Lupe-O-Tone TV. If that was a commentary on how hit pop singles make Costello feel packaged and sold, it didn’t diminish his performance. The riffy reinvention of Pump It Up, in particular, was as cocksure as anything that later Angry Young Brits Oasis or Suede ever dreamed up.
Were there times when a tad more accompaniment might’ve added to the atmosphere? Perhaps. A Mumfordy spin on (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, one of several songs performed with sisterly, Southern Gothic show openers Larkin Poe, cried out for a kickdrum and tambourine. And oh, my kingdom for a Hammond B3 on the confessional Deep Dark Truthful Mirror!
But it’s hard to complain when Solo Elvis delivers a tune like Church Underground, a lonely, echoing, warbling ghost story whose evocative guitar tones were all Costello needed to captivate the crowd. As he sang, he’d pull away and reel the audience toward him, then step back to the mic and press them back into their seats. On Little Triggers, he took the game a step further by ripping knockout twangs on his six-string, then wandering to the lip of the stage to sing sans amplification, with only shared air between himself and the fans. These are the moments when you can barely breathe, let alone look away.
At the end of Church Underground, Costello rightfully doffed his dapper white cap, but only for a second. Any longer, and a flurry of tips might’ve come flying his way. The world, you see, is Elvis Costello’s coffeehouse. All he needs is a mic, any mic, and sooner or later, he’ll own the whole room.
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docinwestchester
- Posts: 2321
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
- Location: Westchester County, NY
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Good quality videos from this taper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im2bdcOsU70
Accidents Will Happen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMzkzSOw6d4
45/Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3v80GFzHcw
Shipbuilding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CQ5r6qvUCQ
Alison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im2bdcOsU70
Accidents Will Happen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMzkzSOw6d4
45/Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3v80GFzHcw
Shipbuilding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CQ5r6qvUCQ
Alison
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sweetest punch
- Posts: 5983
- Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2004 5:49 am
- Location: Belgium
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
http://cltampa.com/earbuds/archives/201 ... still-true
Elvis Costello: His Aim Is Still True
A rare one-man show for the legendary British singer/songwriter at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall
Posted By Gabe Echazabal and Tracy May on Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 11:11 AM
For his current concert tour of select cities and intimate venues, veteran singer-songwriter Elvis Costello decided to go it alone. A rare series of one-man appearances is what his "Detour" tour is comprised of; nothing but a full night of the witty, multitalented entertainer delivering the goods all by himself. Luckily, a stop at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall was included on this limited run of shows. Monday night, a near-capacity crowd was treated to that unique blend of showmanship, comedy and charisma that Costello has so perfectly honed throughout his long and illustrious career.
Getting things started just after 9 and following a most impressive set by Atlanta-based sister duo Larkin Poe (more on them later), Costello ran onstage amid a backdrop of some of his videos being beamed onto a giant mock TV set at the rear of the stage. While it's unusual that the music being pumped through the sound system prior to an act taking the stage is, well, the act's own, it's never been Costello's bag to cling to the conventional.
Sporting a dapper navy blue suit and a snazzy, wide-brimmed white hat and glasses, Costello got things off to a rousing start with a snappy acoustic version of "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," a classic from his landmark 1977 debut album, My Aim is True.
A virtual travelogue through Costello's treasured musical resume (and a few dips into the other people's compositions) was to follow for the duration of the evening. Randomly flipping through the pages of his storied songbook, dusting off obscure nuggets and delivering some of this best-known hits, Costello and his own brand of magnetism alone in the spotlight were all the folks filling the seats needed.
As various still images were illuminated behind him throughout the night, Costello took plenty of opportunities to insert funny anecdotes and pearls of wisdom between songs. Instead of following the standard performance format or leaning towards an unimaginative storyteller type of program, this show was more deeply rooted in a Vaudeville-inspired one-man show heavy on humor and wit.
A colorful story about a potential fling with a female cab driver in 1977 painted a vivid backdrop for a spirited rendition of "Accidents Will Happen." A disagreement over what to play on the car radio was an obstacle for Elvis and his lady cabbie; "I wanted to hear REO Speedwagon, she wanted to hear Journey," he chided. "So, we settled on Eddie Money."
Trading off between a series of guitars, both electric and acoustic, Costello continued to wow the delighted audience throughout the evening. Whether strumming furiously through a spirited version of his 1989 hit single "Veronica" or delivering a solemn rendition of his 2006 collaboration with New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, "Ascension Day," Costello held a captive and entertained audience in the palm of his hand for the entire evening, and never lost focus.
A tender moment came when Costello sent out a dedication to his wife, jazz pianist/vocalist Diana Krall, and their twin sons. A heartfelt rendition of "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," a song popularized by Nat "King" Cole in the early 1950s, came complete with a pitch-perfect whistling segment Costello delivered while sitting on a chair planted at stage right.
Sentimental moments were followed by ferocious stabs of rock and roll, too. The classic reggae-tinged "Watching The Detectives" reared its head as a twangy rocker that blossomed into a wash of fuzzy distortion, while audience members passionately sang along to the familiar tune. It isn't often that attendees are inspired to stand and dance along at most one-man shows, but Elvis has always marched to the beat of his own drum, and most of his fans have shared that belief too.
As Elvis lovingly discussed his father's career path as a bandleader and singer, he displayed images of Ross McManus behind him and told some hilarious stories about his dad before showing a superb, kitschy video of the man performing a rollicking version of "If I Had a Hammer" leading a massive band.
Sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of opening act Larkin Poe accompanied Elvis on some of the evening's most welcomed and surprising numbers. Sporting their respective mandolin and slide guitar, the ladies added musical depth and stunning harmonies to the obscure 1984 ballad "Love Field" as well as to the fragile, gut-wrenching "Indoor Fireworks" from the classic 1986 album King of America.
Crowdpleasers "Pump it Up" and "Radio Radio" (presented in its original incarnation, "Radio Soul") again thrilled the crowd and found most up and out of their seats, singing and bopping along. After the front screen had been removed, Elvis found his way inside the massive television set at the rear of the stage to deliver some of the night's many encores, like a hushed version of his classic "Alison," which was met with audible "oohs" and "aahs."
Taking a turn at the grand piano on the stage, Costello belted out a slow, soulful version of "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down," a 1967 Sam and Dave hit featured on his 1980 masterpiece Get Happy!!. While most in attendance might not have known Costello possesses the chops to kick out as masterful performance on the ivories as he delivered on this one, it's only another chapter in the solid book he writes every time he climbs on a concert stage.
It's hard to believe that after nearly forty years of making records, Elvis Costello is still gaining confidence and showmanship at this stage in his career. While always poised, naturally charming and charismatic on a concert stage, Costello only proved his worth and displayed many of the tricks he keeps up his sleeve on Monday night.
It's safe to say he not only showed what he's made of to any newcomers that might have been in attendance for his rare solo performance, but also oh-so-brilliantly proved to his many loyal followers that he, Elvis, is still the king.
Elvis Costello: His Aim Is Still True
A rare one-man show for the legendary British singer/songwriter at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall
Posted By Gabe Echazabal and Tracy May on Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 11:11 AM
For his current concert tour of select cities and intimate venues, veteran singer-songwriter Elvis Costello decided to go it alone. A rare series of one-man appearances is what his "Detour" tour is comprised of; nothing but a full night of the witty, multitalented entertainer delivering the goods all by himself. Luckily, a stop at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall was included on this limited run of shows. Monday night, a near-capacity crowd was treated to that unique blend of showmanship, comedy and charisma that Costello has so perfectly honed throughout his long and illustrious career.
Getting things started just after 9 and following a most impressive set by Atlanta-based sister duo Larkin Poe (more on them later), Costello ran onstage amid a backdrop of some of his videos being beamed onto a giant mock TV set at the rear of the stage. While it's unusual that the music being pumped through the sound system prior to an act taking the stage is, well, the act's own, it's never been Costello's bag to cling to the conventional.
Sporting a dapper navy blue suit and a snazzy, wide-brimmed white hat and glasses, Costello got things off to a rousing start with a snappy acoustic version of "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," a classic from his landmark 1977 debut album, My Aim is True.
A virtual travelogue through Costello's treasured musical resume (and a few dips into the other people's compositions) was to follow for the duration of the evening. Randomly flipping through the pages of his storied songbook, dusting off obscure nuggets and delivering some of this best-known hits, Costello and his own brand of magnetism alone in the spotlight were all the folks filling the seats needed.
As various still images were illuminated behind him throughout the night, Costello took plenty of opportunities to insert funny anecdotes and pearls of wisdom between songs. Instead of following the standard performance format or leaning towards an unimaginative storyteller type of program, this show was more deeply rooted in a Vaudeville-inspired one-man show heavy on humor and wit.
A colorful story about a potential fling with a female cab driver in 1977 painted a vivid backdrop for a spirited rendition of "Accidents Will Happen." A disagreement over what to play on the car radio was an obstacle for Elvis and his lady cabbie; "I wanted to hear REO Speedwagon, she wanted to hear Journey," he chided. "So, we settled on Eddie Money."
Trading off between a series of guitars, both electric and acoustic, Costello continued to wow the delighted audience throughout the evening. Whether strumming furiously through a spirited version of his 1989 hit single "Veronica" or delivering a solemn rendition of his 2006 collaboration with New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, "Ascension Day," Costello held a captive and entertained audience in the palm of his hand for the entire evening, and never lost focus.
A tender moment came when Costello sent out a dedication to his wife, jazz pianist/vocalist Diana Krall, and their twin sons. A heartfelt rendition of "Walkin' My Baby Back Home," a song popularized by Nat "King" Cole in the early 1950s, came complete with a pitch-perfect whistling segment Costello delivered while sitting on a chair planted at stage right.
Sentimental moments were followed by ferocious stabs of rock and roll, too. The classic reggae-tinged "Watching The Detectives" reared its head as a twangy rocker that blossomed into a wash of fuzzy distortion, while audience members passionately sang along to the familiar tune. It isn't often that attendees are inspired to stand and dance along at most one-man shows, but Elvis has always marched to the beat of his own drum, and most of his fans have shared that belief too.
As Elvis lovingly discussed his father's career path as a bandleader and singer, he displayed images of Ross McManus behind him and told some hilarious stories about his dad before showing a superb, kitschy video of the man performing a rollicking version of "If I Had a Hammer" leading a massive band.
Sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of opening act Larkin Poe accompanied Elvis on some of the evening's most welcomed and surprising numbers. Sporting their respective mandolin and slide guitar, the ladies added musical depth and stunning harmonies to the obscure 1984 ballad "Love Field" as well as to the fragile, gut-wrenching "Indoor Fireworks" from the classic 1986 album King of America.
Crowdpleasers "Pump it Up" and "Radio Radio" (presented in its original incarnation, "Radio Soul") again thrilled the crowd and found most up and out of their seats, singing and bopping along. After the front screen had been removed, Elvis found his way inside the massive television set at the rear of the stage to deliver some of the night's many encores, like a hushed version of his classic "Alison," which was met with audible "oohs" and "aahs."
Taking a turn at the grand piano on the stage, Costello belted out a slow, soulful version of "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down," a 1967 Sam and Dave hit featured on his 1980 masterpiece Get Happy!!. While most in attendance might not have known Costello possesses the chops to kick out as masterful performance on the ivories as he delivered on this one, it's only another chapter in the solid book he writes every time he climbs on a concert stage.
It's hard to believe that after nearly forty years of making records, Elvis Costello is still gaining confidence and showmanship at this stage in his career. While always poised, naturally charming and charismatic on a concert stage, Costello only proved his worth and displayed many of the tricks he keeps up his sleeve on Monday night.
It's safe to say he not only showed what he's made of to any newcomers that might have been in attendance for his rare solo performance, but also oh-so-brilliantly proved to his many loyal followers that he, Elvis, is still the king.
Since you put me down, it seems i've been very gloomy. You may laugh but pretty girls look right through me.
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snarling pup
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:04 am
- Location: FL, USA
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
setlist, in approximate order
Red Shoes
Blue Minute
Watch Your Step
Alfter the Fall
Accidents
Ascension Day
45
Church Underground
Walking My Baby Back Home
Ghost Train
Come the Meantimes
Little Triggers
Every I Write the Book
with LP:
Pads Paws and Claws
Hidee ho
Indoor Fireworks
PLU
Matthew Met Mary
He's Given Me Things
Veronica
Blue Chair
Detectives
Side By Side
Shipbuilding
I Can't Stand Up
Alison
Radio Soul
Pump It Up
with LP:
Blame it on Cain
Down on the Bottom
Red Shoes
Blue Minute
Watch Your Step
Alfter the Fall
Accidents
Ascension Day
45
Church Underground
Walking My Baby Back Home
Ghost Train
Come the Meantimes
Little Triggers
Every I Write the Book
with LP:
Pads Paws and Claws
Hidee ho
Indoor Fireworks
PLU
Matthew Met Mary
He's Given Me Things
Veronica
Blue Chair
Detectives
Side By Side
Shipbuilding
I Can't Stand Up
Alison
Radio Soul
Pump It Up
with LP:
Blame it on Cain
Down on the Bottom
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snarling pup
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:04 am
- Location: FL, USA
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
also
Love Field (with LP)
Love Field (with LP)
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snarling pup
- Posts: 68
- Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 11:04 am
- Location: FL, USA
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
also
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (solo)
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (solo)
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docinwestchester
- Posts: 2321
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:58 pm
- Location: Westchester County, NY
Re: Elvis, solo, plays Clearwater, FL, March 16 2015 - promo interview
Great video of a new song: