B O S T O N   G L O B E
                    Copyright Globe Newspaper Company 1989
 DATE: SATURDAY  August 19, 1989
 PAGE: 9      EDITION: THIRD
 SECTION: LIVING                            LENGTH: MEDIUM
 ILLUST: PHOTO
 SOURCE: By Jim Sullivan, Globe Staff
 MEMO: MUSIC REVIEW
      *ELVIS*COSTELLO*AND THE RUDE 5 -- In concert at Great Woods
       Center for the Performing Arts, last night.

                  *ELVIS*COSTELLO*PLAYS THE BRILLIANT SHOWMAN
         ON THIS TOUR, HE AND HIS FLEXIBLE BAND ARE ROCKING OUT, 
           TAKING LIBERTIES WITH ARRANGEMENTS AND EMPHASIS.

     MANSFIELD -- Ray Davies of the Kinks once mused, ''The Kinks are 
probably the only band in the world where you can leave the show and 
be over the moon with enjoyment and still walk away disappointed.''
   Well, maybe, not the only band in the world.*Elvis*Costello*and his 
touring band the Rude 5 -- a sextet, incongruously enough -- have to 
fit in there somewhere. Not bitterly disappointed, mind you, and 
partially over the moon. After his colleges-only solo tour of this 
spring, it's wonderful to find Costello playing to the general public 
and on stage with a flexible band, rocking out, taking liberties with 
arrangements, voice and emphasis.
   The disappointment, really, comes down to the highly subjective 
case of song selection, or of omission. And, yes, despite the 
marvelous pummeling he gave ''Pump It Up,'' the harder edge he gave 
''Alison'' and the comic, song-closing twist he gave ''Mystery 
Dance,'' it would have been more satisfying to hear other gems from 
that early, ultra-intense era. Memories of those days -- and those 
shows when Costello was still the angry young man and not the beloved 
entertainer -- still resonate.
   Other than selection, the only problem at sold-out Great Woods last 
night was a rather clunky start, further addled by sound problems. 
''Let Him Dangle,'' for instance, lost its ferocity and tension in a 
tangle of horns, a too-cluttered arrangement. The standard opener, 
''Accidents Will Happen'' (with its so-perfect ''Oh, I just don't know 
where to begin . . .'' first line) didn't soar as it should have.
   But things picked up about a third of the way in, just before 
Costello took a solo spot, and hit high gear on the wrenching 
''American Without Tears,'' which Costello started solo and ended with 
full band. It had sweep, sadness and a quiet poignancy. Many of 
Costello's best songs contain those elements; think of ''Veronica,'' 
the lilting pop song played as an encore. It's about the most striking 
rock 'n' roll reflection on aging and remembrance -- buoyant, but 
wistful.
   Another Ray Davies comparison: Where Costello once declined encores 
and played songs as a series of machine-gun bursts, he now is deep 
into pacing and, well, showmanship. (A screen behind him bore the 
tragedy and comedy masks, later flanked by photos of Costello's face 
transformed into almost grotesque versions of the masks.) He shares 
Davies' music-hall sensibilities and his leftist, underdog politics. 
In ''God's Comic,'' Costello, as God (hey, why aim low?), savaged TV 
evangelists, divorce lawyers, film colorizers and Exxon's CEO -- all 
with a tart, quick wit. He worked a line from the Monkees' ''I'm a 
Believer'' into ''God's Comic,'' Van Morrison's ''Jackie Wilson Said'' 
into ''Radio Sweetheart,'' and the Beatles' ''Day Tripper'' into ''I 
Hope You're Happy Now.'' (Costello, of course, has been collaborating 
with Paul McCartney; last night he played one unreleased song they 
wrote together. Not a standout.)
   Costello's band contains but one member of his longtime backing 
group, the Attractions, with whom he's apparently at odds. That's 
drummer Pete Thomas, who did the job as always. His other mates, 
including bassist Jerry Scheff from the ''King of America'' sessions, 
were a dexterous bunch, playing instruments such as horns, mandolins, 
timpani, accordion, guitar, bass and keyboards. This gave Costello the 
tools with which to paint pictures rich in texture and contrast. Put 
more bluntly, they banged the daylights out of the raging, 
delightfully unsubtle ''I Hope You're Happy Now'' and managed the 
improbable fusion of a walking bass line, a jazzy dissonant breakdown 
and a heavy-metal blitz in ''Watching the Detectives.'' Truth be told, 
the rearrangement didn't further the song's creepy-crawly thrust -- 
it's always been a song Costello's tinkered with -- but it was fun 
anticipating the sonic swerves.
    Same, on the vocal front, for the solo segment. Costello is a 
singing-in-the-shower type who does it in public; he loves to emote 
and ''(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes'' was a standout, kicked 
off with the opening riff from the Who's ''Pinball Wizard.''
   All in all, Costello's marathon last night -- coming in at nearly 2 
1/2 hours -- was well worth the trek. Sure, it could have been 
complete bliss, but near-bliss is nothing to scoff at.