Review of concert from 2003-11-07: Birmingham, UK, Symphony Hall - with Steve Nieve
- Mark Bromley

 

Moved from revenge to something like guilt

After all of the press that's been going around recently, I suspected we might be in for some sort of half-baked greatest hits show or a re-run of his other UK concerts sung through gritted teeth and a forced smile. As you now know by now, I was nowhere near the mark on either count.

For the first 5 of 6 songs, Elvis did seem genuinely pissed-off – far more so than at either of the rowdy rock ‘n’ roll shows I saw last year. When he sang "I went to work that night and wasted my breath", he looked and sounded like he really, really meant it.

The turning point seemed to come around the time of This House Is Empty Now, which is not usually one of my favourite songs but I must admit was delivered with exceptional passion and beauty, drawing generous applause from the crowd. At this point the cloud of resentment lifted slightly, and by the time we got to When Did I Stop Dreaming? it had cleared completely. Elvis put everything he had into the songs from North, both vocally and emotionally, and it paid off. The audience appreciated the effort and responded extremely well.

In fact, from where I was standing it was difficult to imagine how he could have gathered together a more accommodating bunch of Brits – there was even a collective groan when the mandatory call of “Oliver’s Army!” came from one of the balconies. Towards the end, he came out with something like ““sometimes you’ve got to look at things from the other end of the telescope…”

Having said all of that, the entire row of 8 people in front of me (about 6 rows back one the right flank of the stalls) decided to clear off three songs before the end, presumably to beat the rush in the car park. They appeared to be enjoying the show up to that point. This was fine with me, as it improved my view of the closing songs (and Elvis and Steve’s closing antics).

By the time we got into the third hour, EC was having great fun, throwing all sorts of surprises into the setlist, as well as a few choice observations (“sometimes you look at things through the wrong end of the telescope”).

Personal highlights included Suit of Lights, Can You Be True?, Dirty Rotten Shame and Home Truth, which rivaled any of the established classics, played in a beautiful guitar and piano arrangement. Not forgetting CCIU of course – being my first Costello/Nieve concert, this was a life-affirming experience.

As soon as I came out into the foyer I spent five minutes emptying my pockets thinking that I’d lost my keys and would have to spend the night sleeping underneath the big wheel outside. Luckily, this panic was soon over and I celebrated by buying a mug – increasing my collection of Costello related crockery to two items.

In short, a magical evening in which Elvis moved from revenge to something like guilt, while I was merely moved.