I have seen Costello numerous times and only once have I been disappointed and that was because of Emilou Harris. As Elvis continues his ‘solo’ antics he makes his Carnegie Hall debut. Wow, how impressive!
If you think about it his career is decade breaking, the guy has been around forever with mountains of material- which he hasnt lost interest in. The publication The DCist said last November ‘It’d be tough to name another songwriter who’s produced as much original material over the last 35 years, and it’s impossible to name another who mines his back catalog as equitably onstage. Most artists have only a handful of songs they’ll ever play from any particular album. With Elvis, any tune he’s ever released is fair game.’
Although the whole ‘Imposters’, “Attractions”, bit is tiresome, in the end its all solo Costello anyway. I last saw him ‘solo’ and with nothing more than a guitar and some odd stage props he gave us nearly 2 hours of music and personal stories. He can be quite the chit chatter and as much as he is claimed to be an ogre ‘in real life’ his onstage persona is that of a typical self depreciating Brit with shy body posture. Personally, I don’t care if he’s a jerk- he entertains me just fine.
Wonder how he got to Carnegie Hall anyway… practice practice practice. A two night stand June 24 and June 25, catch it if you haven’t already tired of this ‘solo’ tour.
