Elvis/Allen play The Mountain Winery , Saratoga, CA, June 21

[johnfoyle]

From: "Concertmaps"

The Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA 21-Jun Pre-sale begins 4/14

http://www.mountainwinery.com/schedule/schedule.html

[johnfoyle]

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1C003 ... orcatid=60

Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
Wed, Jun 21, 2006 07:30 PM

Internet Presale Info
Radio Presale:
Start: Wed, 04/12/06 10:00 AM PDT
End: Fri, 04/14/06 05:00 PM PDT

[johnfoyle]

Anyone here going to this?

[jillbeast]

Actually we still have one seat available, but it might be taken. I can't wait for the show!

Jill

[Turquoise Pajamas Pt Deux]

An mp3 from last night's show from listserv - hopefully a complete recording lurks around the corner?

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?a ... 9D662A39AE

[johnfoyle]

Howard Outten posts to CostelloNews.com-


Mountain Winery Setlist
June 21, 2006
Saratoga, CA

(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love And Understanding?
Monkey To Man
On Your Way Down
A Certain Girl
Clown Strike
Tears, Tears And More Tears
Nearer To You
Working In A Coal Mine
Tears Before Bedtime
Broken Promise Land
Freedom For The Stallion
The River In Reverse
Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
Bedlam
Watching The Detectives
Episode Of Blonde
High Fidelity
Pump It Up
encore 1
Big Chief Variations
Ascension Day
Wonder Woman
International Echo
Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
Clubland
encore 2
That's How You Got Killed Before
Yes We Can Can
Fortune Teller
The Sharpest Thorn

[johnfoyle]

http://www.guitarvibe.com/2006/06/costello.html

Elvis Costello is touring North America through June and July to promote his newest CD The River in Reverse recorded with New Orleans virtuouso R&B pianoman Allen Toussaint. I must admit, I was a bit skeptical of the pairing of Costello and Toussaint. How would this fit with some of Costello's hit songs or even his more recent works like The Delivery Man or When I was Cruel? Costello has always been a music fan with eclectic taste and it has sometimes confounded critics and fans alike.

But after seeing Costello & Toussaint perform tonight at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California, I can say this was the best Costello gig I have seen. It was a rockin' show with the Imposters (long time sidemen Pete Thomas and Steve Nieve) on rhythm, Toussaint on piano and the Crescent City horn section adding a new dynamic to classic songs.

While some may remember Costello as the angry young man who sang "Radio Radio" nearly thirty years ago on Saturday Night Live or from his hits "Allison," and "Watching the Detectives", Costello's musical career spans thirty years with nearly as many albums and musical styles. But unlike many, Costello is not content to play note-for-note renditions of his hits; instead he reworks the music to fit into his current style and interest.

The evening started out with the Nick Lowe penned single "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?" and included a balance of familar songs (Clown Strike, Tears before Bedtime, Deep Dark Truthful Mirror, High Fidelity, Pump It Up, Clubland, Watching the Detectives) as well as more recent works (Episode of Blonde, Monkey to Man, Bedlam) and about half of The River in Reverse. The set blended well together thanks to the clever arrangements by Toussaint.

Toussaint added a classy, soulful sound to the evening. He sang lead vocals on his R&B hits Working in a Coalmine, Yes We Can, and What Do You Want the Girl to Do? Toussaint's solo tribute to Professor Longhair had the audience up and clapping which is a rare enough phenonema in Silicon Valley.

Last time I saw Costello play at the Mountain Winery in May 2002 it was so cold you could see your breath and Costello himself was bundled up in hat and overcoat. But tonight was the perfect warm summer evening to celebrate the sounds of New Orleans. My only wish is that Costello would put out an official live album so fans wouldn't have to resort to bootlegs.

[Turquoise Pajamas Pt Deux]

Geez Louise! How 'bout mixing up the setlist a little bit El? He did throw in Episode of Blonde, but...

[verbal gymnastics]

I wondered that in another thread. The sets usually start off in a familiar way and then change drastically as the tour goes on. It'll be interesting to compare the setlist at the beginning of the tour with the end of the tour.

[Turquoise Pajamas Pt Deux]

It'll be interesting to compare the setlist at the beginning of the tour with the end of the tour.

That very idea is being tracked here!
http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... comparison

[verbal gymnastics]

As expected there's not that much change yet.

Thanks for the link TPPD.

[bambooneedle]

Have they played Walking On Thin Ice yet?

[Turquoise Pajamas Pt Deux]

Have they played Walking On Thin Ice yet?

Nope. Pretty much what we see above is what we get (so far anyway).

[bambooneedle]

That wasn't a serious question (pretty unlikely that a Yoko Ono song will get special attention). But I wonder if they might play something like The Greatest Thing later while they have a horn section. Who knows, EC might be tempted to pull out even TKO (Boxing Day) for a change.

[BlueChair]

His unwillingness to mix things up a bit may be the involvement of Allen Toussaint and the Crescent Horns.

[verbal gymnastics]

But I wonder if they might play something like The Greatest Thing later while they have a horn section. Who knows, EC might be tempted to pull out even TKO (Boxing Day) for a change.

It'll be just like 1983 all over again but with the Crescent City Horns taking the place of the TKO Horns.

That was a tour I didn't enjoy as the set list was too rigid. I think this will be the same. I'd like to see reworkings of a lot of Elvis' back catalogue (I'm not familiar with Allen Toussaint's work) but there's only so much they can do.

They should play Party Party as the very last song of the very last show

[bambooneedle]

When was the last time EC toured with horns? This is an opportunity to revive some rarely played stuff that would shine with some.

I've got a good boot from that tour with the TKO horns, might did it out and play it.

[Turquoise Pajamas Pt Deux]

His unwillingness to mix things up a bit may be the involvement of Allen Toussaint and the Crescent Horns.

I think you're probably right here. However, the Crescent Horns aren't the local elementary school band trying to play "Michael Row The Boat Ashore" for the first time. These guys are pros and exceptional ones at that. I would have to believe they'd be able to handle a few additional assignments. That said, their tour is in the somewhat early stages yet and perhaps there will be a few of the set list twists we all have come to love/expect.

[johnfoyle]

http://insidebayarea.com/bayarealiving/ci_3975717

6/24/2006 07:18 AM

Costello and Jackson shine in new ways

By Jim Harrington, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area

ELVIS Costello and Joe Jackson are both 51, born just two weeks apart in 1954.

They both came into prominence in the late'70s as angry young rockers and were closely associated with both punk and new wave.

Both, however, would prove too big for those genres and would go on to explore numerous other musical realms.

And, most significantly for our purposes, both played within a 10-mile radius of each other in Saratoga this past week. I was at both shows and here's what I saw:

Elvis Costello

One can get dizzy following Costello's remarkable career.

Having come through town earlier this year to showcase his classical side at Davies Symphony Hall, the man born Declan Patrick MacManus was back to display his new Crescent City sound on Wednesday at the Mountain Winery.

Costello is touring in support of the newly released "The River in Reverse," a collaboration with New Orleans pianist-vocalist Allen Toussaint.

The 13-track disc features seven songs from Toussaint's catalog, five new compositions penned by the pair and one new Costello original.

As usual, this was an unusual night of music for Costello.

The vocalist-guitarist, who is married to jazz pinup-pianist Diana Krall, co-headlined the nearly three-hour set with Toussaint.

Also on stage were Costello's regular band, the Imposters, and Toussaint's crew, which featured four horn players and a guitarist.

United, this 10-piece ensemble delivered a memorable night of New Orleans-flavored tunes that seemed worlds removed from Costello's early rock works.

Looking at the setlist, which was scarce on big hits, one might not have expected this show to work as well as it did. And it worked extremely well.

Credit that, in large part, to Toussaint, who arranged nearly all of the tunes played on this night.

The arrangements jumped and jived with Fat City flavor, but they weren't so drenched in the Bayou that the Londoner (Costello) would seem like a fish out of water.

"The River" definitely ran through this show. Many of the best selections came off the new album.

Costello showed off his strong voice, which has somehow grown more expressive and versatile over the decades, on the Toussaint-penned "Nearer to You."

He then sang a soft, touching rendition of "Freedom for the Stallion," another Toussaint number that came across like a duet between Costello's voice and Toussaint's piano.

Costello displayed plenty of his signature sense of humor and, notably, took one of the funnier swipes at G.W. Bush that I have heard in a long time. You didn't have to be a Democrat to laugh when he picked up a tiny doll and announced:

"It's a presidential action figure. And, I have to tell you, it's actual size. The funny thing is that, for an action figure, it does absolutely nothing."

That served as a nice tie-in for "Broken Promise Land," a Costello-Toussaint original that was penned as a response to what the artists see as a lack of response from the government to Hurricane Katrina.

The band also did a great job reworking Costello's old hits to match the Crescent City flavor. Highlights included "Pump It Up," a tune that never fails to accomplish its namesake, and a gorgeous take on "Alison."

Joe Jackson

Out of the two shows, I was definitely looking forward to Jackson's gig more. That's probably just due to supply and demand: While Costello seems to come through town at least once a year, seemingly always with something new worth reviewing, it's been several years since I've had the pleasure of seeing Jackson in concert.

And what a pleasure it was.

From the moment he sat at his piano, to play and sing solo versions of "Home Town" and the classic "Steppin' Out," Jackson absolutely charmed the capacity crowd at the lovely Montalvo Arts Center.

Compared to Costello's Bourbon Street bash, Jackson delivered a relatively tame, though nearly as enjoyable, evening of tunes.

The vocalist-pianist performed as part of a trio, with bassist Graham Maby and drummer Dave Houghton, and hit the crowd with jazzy renditions of both old and new songs.

After performing a sweet, slowed-down "It's Different for Girls" — from Jackson's best album, "I'm the Man" — the vocalist showcased two new compositions, "Too Tough" and "Citizen Sane," the latter of which sounded like classic Jackson.

His voice wasn't quite as strong as Costello's, faltering at times during some of the more trying notes on songs such as "Home Town," but it was still enjoyable.

The fans would probably liked to have heard a few more oldies, but they were still happy with new tunes such as "Drunk Song" and fairly recent tracks

like the hilariously touching "Love at First Light."

During the encore, the fans, of course, got the favorite "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" — which turned into a fun sing-along. But they also got a strong jolt when the singer hit Frank Zappa's "Dirty Love."

It just goes to show that Jackson — like Costello — can always be counted on for a good surprise or two.

Write music critic Jim Harrington at jharrington@angnewspapers.com. For more live music coverage, visit http://www.insidebayarea.com/music.