Review of concert from 2002-10-10: St Louis, MO, The Pageant
- with Imposters
St Louis Times, 2002-10-11
- Brian Q. Newcomb
Elvis Costello fills set at Pageant with old and new classics
By Brian Q. Newcomb
Special to the Post-Dispatch
10/11/2002 07:48 AM
Elvis Costello remains a "Man Out of Time," but Thursday
night's show before a Pageant packed with the faithful found the singer/songwriter
successfully mixing gems from his catalog of alternative rock classics
with the best material from his latest disc, "When I Was Cruel."
Clean cut and looking lean in black, the enigmatic artist kicked things
off, literally, with "I Hope You're Happy Now," followed by
what would have been "Cruel"'s first single if rock radio
still responded to artists like Costello, "Doll Revolution."
Only occasionally pausing to tell a story, Costello led his crack band,
The Imposterskeyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas of
his long-time band the Attractions, along with bassist Davey Faragher,
from song to song, maintaining an amazing momentum. The 16-song main
set zig-zagged from older works like "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea,"
"Less Than Zero," "I Can't Stand Up," and "Man
Out of Time" to strong newer songs "Spooky Girlfriend,"
"45," and "15 Petals."
With the focus so squarely on the songs, it's worth mentioning that
Costello is a fine guitarist, and Nieve is one of the most interesting
keyboardists on the modern scene. This band rocked and stepped back
with restraint when appropriate, but mostly, thanks to the potent rhythmic
thrust of Thomas, just rocked.
More obscure works like "The Judgment," "High Fidelity"
and "Little Triggers" were given just as much space as fan
favorites. Turning acoustic at the end of the first hour, Costello closed
out the set proper with "New Amsterdam," "Tart,"
and "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," which featured a brief tangent
into "You Really Got a Hold on Me."
The first set of encores started with a lengthy "When I Was Cruel,"
with Costello playfully toying with the song's rhythm loop. "Beyond
Belief" was lush, and "Clubland" meaty, while "My
Mood Swings" served up the quirkiness of the "Big Lebowski"
soundtrack from which it came. "Complicated Shadows" led into
Costello's most popular song, "Alison," which ambled through
"He'll Have to Go" before honoring the Other Elvis with "Suspicious
Minds."
Returning again with "Alibi" and "Brilliant Mistake,"
Costello revealed that he is indeed a brilliant craftsman, an energetic
performer and someone who makes few mistakes. Fan favorites "Watching
the Detectives," "Peace, Love & Understanding," "Radio
Radio" and "Pump It Up" followed as the energy rose and
fans sang along. But Costello closed the show with the artful drama
of "I Want You," an intense, somewhat psychedelic rocker,
proving yet again that this Elvis' aim is still true.