Elvis plays Super Sonic 09 (Japan), 8 & 9 Aug 2009

[sweetest punch]

(from listserv):
http://www.summersonic.com/09/lineup/index.html

[johnfoyle]

That page now says "Elvis Costello and The Imposters"

[krm]

.....and I got my ticket today!!! Woooohooooo!!!!! (for Tokyo on the 8th!)

[johnfoyle]

Who's going?

[krm]

I will be there! in Tokyo!



and for those interested, I noticed that Steive Nieve Band (!) played Fuji Rock festival last weekend!
http://www.smash-uk.com/frf09/lineup.html

[krm]

just back from the festival. No, he did not play Tokyo Storm Warning. It started with a looong version of Stella Hurt. and then it transferred to the wellknown EC&I plays the greatest hits of EC&A! Still a very enjoyable show!
Tracklist from mind:(I might have mixed a few in the middle or maybe forgotten one or two, but it gives a rough idea of the set). Stella Hurt and Bedlam only songs from post 1986!!!!
Stella hurt
Pump it up
Uncomplicated
Radio radio
Everyday I write the book
Olivers Army
Bedlam
Chelsea
Clubland
Watching the ndetectives
Red shoes
Alison
PL&U
Mystery Dance

photos here: http://www.summersonic.com/09/livereport/0808/mountain/

[johnfoyle]

Crikey!

http://www.facebook.com/stevenieve?v=fe ... 7652229440


Steve Nieve woken up by the hotel room changing shape, walls floor and ceiling moving in different directions, building making loud groaning noises. An announcement says the elevators are out of action until further notice. 42 floors above Shinjuku, feeling very small....

23 minutes ago

[bronxapostle]

YIPES!!!! hope they are alright!

[johnfoyle]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2 ... ieve?__a=1

Steve Nieve at the lobby on the 41st floor two dozen hotel guests still in their jammies. Main elevator just came back, so I am heading down to put my feet on solid ground. Most people seem calm and reassured, this building is designed to stand strong quakes so probably safer inside than out. Seems it was 6.6 ....

7 hours ago


Peter Thomas

I just got back to L.A..Sounds like your still rockin and rolling over there,yikes!!
6 hours ago

[johnfoyle]

From listserv -
Hi there,

I went to both Tokyo and Osaka shows, and here is a long and belated report, just in case anyone is interested.

In Tokyo (well, actually it was a nearby city called Chiba), he played an indoor stage, capable of approx. 10,000 people. Considering that an exremely popular Japanese band was playing on another stage at the same time, the turnout seemed quite good. The audience were crazily energetic and enthusiastic, and there was a huge applause before he came on to the stage. Elvis was in fabulous mood from the start. He looked great - seemed to have lost a lot of weight, as already reported. And most importantly, he was in really great voice! Strong, deep and sweet - almost perfect. He did exactly what the audiene wanted, and it drove them crazy. Actually I was annoyed by an ugly bastard behind me who was shouting and singing out of tune all the time, but even it was o.k.

When Elvis introduced the band, he mentioned Pete's birthday tomorrow and urged the audience to sing Happy Birthday To You for him at the end of Alison. He also mentioned something about the Specials, who are the headliner of the stag
e on that day. Later at the Specials' show, Terry Hall referred to Elvis as well, paying respect to him, which was nice. Highlights for me were Bedlam, Everyday I Write the Book with the new arrange, Oliver's Army with acoustice guitar, and the encore, Mystery Dance!


In Osaka he played outside, and it was tough because we suffered from heavy rain. A typhoon was said to be approaching, and it started raining during the set of the band playing before Elvis. He seemed a little nervous bacause of the rain but was still in good moond and his singing was in top form. When he started with Stella Hurt, I thought that he would play exactly the same set as the day before, but it was not the case. Until the middle of the show it was the same, but I saw Elvis talking to Steve at some point and heard the intro of I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down! Yay! And then it turned to be a very different show.

The rain peaked around the third or fourth song, and the weather started getting better. However, towards the end of the show, there was a serious trouble with sound - probably becase of the rain. During Watching the Detectives, the sound from the speaker in front of me (I was in the front row) suddenly went off. It came back soon, but since then the sound was very unstable. It was awful. The stage staff tried to fix it, but it did not work til the end. I feared that Elvis would get upset, but apparently he didn't. He and the imposters just kept playing despite the trouble, without a sign of unrest. The audience seemed moved by that, which made a great atmosphere. A big sing-along occured in Alison, just as if people were trying to support the band struggling with the broken sound.

My highlights in Osaka were American Gangster Time, which was a treat for me, and Alison (incl. Track of My Tears & Tears of Crown). Oh, Elvis did not do the Happy Birthday song for Pete, but introduced him as "Birthday Boy!"

Someone has already posted the Tokyo setlist to wiki <http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... 8-08_Tokyo>, so here is the set for the Osaka show.

Stella Hurt
Pump It Up
Uncomplicated - Shotgun
Radio Radio
Everyday I Write The Book
Oliver's Army
Chelsea
Bedlam
Clubland
I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
High Fidelity
Watching the Detectives

encore
American Gangster Time
Red Shoes
Alison - Tracks of My Tears - Tears of Crown

I know these were just absolutely completely "Greatest Hits" sets, but that's just fine with me. Elvis played here for the first time in three years!!! You can't imagine how happy we were. He didn't play any song from the new album, and played only a few from Momofuku. You know how badly I wanted to hear the new stuff, but I think he made the right choice for this ocasion, as the shows appealed a lot to casual fans. Summer Sonic is said to be a festival for youngkids, so I believe that it was a great opportunity for him to acquire new fans. I really realy hope he will be coming back to Japan soon - wondering if he would tour here in October after Australia. Can someone ask him?

Lastly, here are some photos from the official website of the festival.

Tokyo
http://www.summersonic.com/09/livereport/0808/mountain/

Osaka
http://www.summersonic.net/09/livereport/

Sorry it was so long... I hope my English at least makes sense! Thank you so much for reading.

Ayako

[johnfoyle]

From listserv-

This commercial bootleg is now available in FLAC format for download. Thanks
to Captain T for this.

MP3 Sample:
- Pump It Up, Osaka: http://www.mediafire.com/?z2my5qyi2nm
- Watching The Detectives, Osaka: http://www.mediafire.com/?ljjyzmmjwmc

Dir to FLAC Files:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=a8b5 ... 42bb0c63f4

[chickendinna]

Thanks to Capt. T and John Foyle for this.They sound great!!

[scamp]

Thankyou

[sweetest punch]

PLU: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izJHB12j4zE
Uncomplicated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKrgeJKp ... re=channel
Pump it Up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHSiz1Vv ... re=channel
Alison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyvyg7Oq ... re=channel

[krm]

Thanks for mentioning/sharing this! Brings back some good memories!

[johnfoyle]

http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment ... 00616.html

The Specials back for mini tour

By JANE STEVENSON, QMI Agency
April 15, 2010

(extract)

Costello gets emotional

The Specials — who are currently playing together for the first time in nearly 30 years — recently shared billing at the same Japanese festival on New Year’s as Elvis Costello, who produced the British ska-punk band’s seminal 1979 self-titled debut.

And according to The Specials rhythm guitarist-vocalist Lynval Golding, it was an emotional performance for Costello to watch. “Obviously, he hasn’t seen the band for so many years, and when he heard us play the songs, he said it brought tears to his eyes,” Golding told QMI Agency.

“And that was really sweet. I just think of what we’ve done and where we are today is amazing. Love the fans, love their kids, and love Elvis for what he did because he produced our first record. He was brave enough to take us on. And when every major company didn’t want to know (us), Elvis backed us. And what can I say? The rest is history.”