Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Pretty self-explanatory
Azmuda
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by Azmuda »

One more from Karen Dormouse -
When I Write The Book / Everyday I Write The Book - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b723ITCF_fg
Azmuda
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by Azmuda »

Azmuda wrote:One more from Karen Dormouse -
When I Write The Book / Everyday I Write The Book - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b723ITCF_fg
Three more from cohenadmirer1:
Down On The Bottom - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHaI6KsDSfQ
Alison - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEohb5R2l2I
Pump It Up - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hD4_GgMQew
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by And No Coffee Table »

http://liverpoolacoustic.co.uk/2015/06/ ... hil-15615/

Live review: Elvis Costello @ Liverpool Phil 15/6/15

Posted by Alan O'Hare in live reviews, news and reviews, reviews

It’s all about that singular voice.

Elvis Costello is unique. Sure, he’s not the only acclaimed songwriter around who twists brand new melodies from well-worn chords. But he is the only one who renders chords, melodies and structure almost meaningless by a remarkable vocal that is inimitable and as distinctive as popular music gets.

He’s made some popular music too, you know. It’s easy to forget – hits like ‘Oliver’s Army’, ‘Alison’ and ‘(What’s So Funny ‘bout) Peace, Love And Understanding’ are summational and sound as alive today as when they ruled the airwaves over 30 years ago. He played them all.

But it was the deep cuts that enthralled a sold-out Philharmonic Hall. ‘Either Side Of The Same Town’ – from 2004’s ‘The Delivery Man’ – is a lesson in economy and release in its live guise, with Costello elongating vowels and spitting the country soul chorus wonderfully. Similarly, ‘45’ and ‘When I Was Cruel No. 2’ (the latter delivered from a rocking chair, with an acoustic parlour guitar and a multi-directional vintage mic) brought the house down thanks to a delivery that was dripping with intensity.

He’s some singer. The style may not be to everybody’s taste, but nobody does emotion better. Probably because Costello doesn’t ‘do’ anything… he just is. And you won’t see a more comfortable performer on stage.

The stage for this ‘Detour’ solo show is a little less cluttered than last time he was in town, when he brought the spinning songbook with him, but there are still props to add to the narrative. We get clips of his dad, Ross McManus, singing with the Joe Loss Orchestra; a young Steven Gerrard blissfully looking into his future during the blue-tinged regret of ‘That’s Not The Part Of Him You’re Leaving’ and a hollow television set for the beloved entertainer to step into during the encores – accompanied by support act Larkin Poe – including ‘Pump It Up’, ‘Brilliant Mistake’ and ‘A Good Year For The Roses’.

There is a real sense of vaudeville to the evening, especially when Costello treats us to stories of his family’s wandering past and plays the pre-rock and roll sound-a-likes of ‘Jimmie Standing In The Rain’, ‘Who’s The Meanest Gal’ In Town, Josephine’ and a cover of Cliff Edwards’ enduring austerity ballad, ‘Side By Side’.

It’s another ballad that steals the show, however. Surprisingly, Costello moved over to a grand piano for a few tunes during the gig, and revealed himself to have a unique sound on said instrument too… especially when he played those stately, black and white opening notes that introduce ‘Shipbuilding’. “Is it worth it,” he sang and every drop of vibrato reverberated around the hushed hall.

“Diving for dear life, when we could be diving for pearls…” goes the chorus to the song of the night. And it sends us all out onto Hope Street thinking about that very question and wondering just how deep the well of Costello could be. The verdict? Just like ‘Shipbuilding’, Elvis is one of a kind and I’m not sure there is a bottom to find. Outstanding.
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And No Coffee Table
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

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http://www.getintothis.co.uk/2015/06/el ... liverpool/

Elvis Costello, Larkin Poe: The Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
By Patrick Clarke on 22nd June 2015

Elvis Costello had the crowd at his fingertips for two and a half hours with just a few acoustic guitars in his arsenal, Getintothis’ Patrick Clarke sums up an intimate masterclass from Birkenhead’s finest.

Elvis Costello is on the Philharmonic stage for over two and a half hours. Come the end of the evening he’s done three encores, alone for the majority of the set with only an armory of acoustic guitars, a piano and a panama hat to keep his crowd occupied. That he’s so unremittingly engaging for almost the entirety says it all.

In his opener, an acoustic cut of The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes, Costello sets his tone for the evening – each recital a remarkable re-imagining, the jagged thumps, spikes and descents of his considerable catalogue sanded down to an acoustic core and hurled forth with breathtaking fervour.

Though often slowed, the songs are never blunted, their impassioned depths lent the space to rise to the surface, holding up with considerable stature when stripped of bells and whistles. A piano-led version of I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down is perhaps the night’s most apparent illustration, the frantic, spiky jitters of the 1980 original transformed into an impassioned ballad, its brilliance thanks in no small part to a feverishly emotive vocal from Costello himself.

Magnetic throughout in his skittish thrusts and poses, the singer’s still got every ounce of the endearingly offbeat cool that’s set him apart for the last four decades, and as sweat drips from his spectacles as he bellows his way, intensely wide-eyed, through a particularly ferocious Watching the Detectives with wide-eyed it’s apparent that he simply still means it.

The crowd, almost entirely consisted of old-timers who’ve aged along with their evening’s entertainment, lap up every ounce with clamorous applause, and their enthusiam’s well-reciprocated on-stage. “It’s great to be home,” Costello proclaims in the first of many addresses, while the very mention of the word Mersey in Oliver’s Army gets a rapturous reception of its own.

In conversation Elvis is similarly captivating, anecdotes on the life and times of his hugely inspirational sailor/musician grandfather to whom he dedicates Jimmie Standing in the Rain, his days as a computer scientist, and his native North-West in turn heart-rending, fierce, genuinely hilarious and surreal (“I’d like to introduce my very special guest… it’s me!”), it’s in his patter that Costello keeps the intimacy of the night in check.

After an hour and a half or so, Elvis leaves the stage to a standing ovation, but it’s to be only a brief sojourn, and on his return he’s joined by Rebecca and Megan Lovell, a.k.a. Larkin Poe, on slide guitar and mandolin, whose charged, if conventional support set opened the evening. They’re impeccable musicians, and the sisters lend an injection of texture to keep the marathon performance fresh, yet in a strange way the pair hamper the sense of intimacy that’s driven the night thus far; one man, one crowd, we want him all to ourselves.

It’s a minor gripe, given how strong the new trio perform, and as they depart to another standing ovation there’s a renewed sense of energy in the room to thank them for. The night’s not over yet, however, as the screen of the enormous Lupe-O-Tone mock TV that’s backed the stage drops to reveal Elvis inside, clutching his guitar with modish poise.

Rocketing through his next set, including an exceptional rendition Alison, it ends, once again, with a standing ovation, before one last jaunt on the main stage for a rocketeering What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding. By now the crowd are whipped into rhapsody, and all at the hands of one man and a few acoustic guitars. Not bad at all.
sulky lad
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by sulky lad »

The crowd, almost entirely consisted of old-timers
I know Bradwell Boy and Colin Top Balcony (rattling his jewellrey ) were there but didnt the reviewer see me ?!! :shock: :wink:
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Top balcony
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by Top balcony »

think he was sitting next to you :wink:

what did you think of the gig?

I noticed he still fitted in a few localisms amongst the re-hearsed adlibs - eg starting out on computers in Netherton, buying a guitar from Frank Hessey's and during the Jimmy intro he referred to an argument with a fan 2 years ago re whether or not an orchestra ever played in the the Futurist Lime St!

Colin Top Balcony
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by verbal gymnastics »

sulky lad wrote:
The crowd, almost entirely consisted of old-timers
I know Bradwell Boy and Colin Top Balcony (rattling his jewellrey ) were there but didnt the reviewer see me ?!! :shock: :wink:
Obviously not otherwise he would have said "The crowd, almost entirely consisted of old timers and old school lapels"!
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by Top balcony »

Elvis dedicated Down on the Bottom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHaI6KsDSfQ to "everyone who's having a tough old go at it - this one's for you Phil..." It's highly likely that the Phil was Phil Hayes a long time pal.

Here's a link http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/rea ... h-11138580 to a long Echo article which features EC heavily, the desolation of Liverpool by Thatcher, the Picket, Phil's darkest hours and hopefully his upwards momentum from his troubled times.

Colin Top Balcony
johnfoyle
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Re: Elvis, solo, Liverpool June 15 2015

Post by johnfoyle »

Good luck Phil - a sound bloke.
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