Review of Seattle's Showbox concert and private show at Cloud Room
The Rocket, a local Seattle/Northwest music mag, 1996-05-18
by Charles R. Cross

There's a picture of EC, acoustic guitar in hand, with a funny caption
that says, "Bob Mould at the Showbox 5/17. Oh wait, it's Elvis Costello."

ELVIS COSTELLO
Showbox, Seattle, 5/17

After ignoring the Northwest for so many years, Elvis Costello seems to be
pulling out all the stops to win his regional fans back.  He started with a
private afternoon show at Seattle's Cloud Room piano bar, where he did a
tremendous 8 song acoustic set.  After beginning with Van Morrison's
"Domino", he went on to play material off his new album, All This Useless
Beauty, joking that he was starting a residency at the bar and would be
playing there for the next 3 months.  But instead of a bar, he hopped down to
the Showbox where he played a two and a half hour set of new tunes, forgotten
chestnuts, and classics.  Backed only by piano player Steve Nieve, this was
more than Costello unplugged: He was unbridled and unrestrained, working hard
on every number to put across the melody and lyrics.  The new material,
particularly "Complicated Shadows", "The Other End of the Telescope", "You
Bowed Down", and "Shallow Grave", came across much better in concert because
Elvis put forth the effort to sell it to the audience.  He was funny, he was
charming, and he was in a great mood, acknowledging that though it took him
15 years to return to the Northwest (referring to his electric show 2 years
ago at the Seattle Paramount), he planned to come back in the summer with the
full band (maybe Portland's due will come then).  As a final wet kiss, he
finished with "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives", both of which had the
crowd singing along in almost carnal joy.  He came back for 3 encores, doing
a couple of numbers each time, and even that didn't seem like enough.  Was
this really the same fellow who turned white noise on the crowd at his 1979
Seattle Paramount show?  What a difference 17 years can make.