A Very Nice Night
The Angel Recital Hall is relatively small - certainly the smallest venue I've ever seen Elvis Costello play (it maybe holds 1000 or so) - so everyone had a pretty good view. I was in the 2nd row, but off to the side.
As you may have read, the show started with "Pills and Soap" - no great surprises here if you've ever seen the "A Case For Song" video, but in essence the Brodskies add an arrangement both creepy and queasy to EC's stark denunciation of a society torn apart by its morbid obsessions with cheap revenge, the gutter press and phony patriotism (more relevant now than when it was written in 1983, although EC has altered a couple of lines in the second verse). "Rocking Horse Road" with arrangement by Paul Cassidy was very playful - I think the Brodskies may have been improvising a bit - the section just after EC started singing "Wild Thing" was akin to a psychedelic freakout.
After "For Other Eyes" EC explained the concept of "The Juliet Letters" for the benefit of those who were not familiar with it (just as well as I saw a few celebrities and socialites in the audience - they can't all have been EC/Brodksy fans). The concept was inspired by a professor in Verona who took it upon himself to answer the many letters sent every year to Juliet Capulet. Inspired by this notion of real letters sent to a fictional person, EC and the Brodskies brainstormed enough letter writing themes to fill 20 songs (although one of those songs was based on a real letter received by Elvis). He then described "Who do you think you are?" as a "seaside postcard". After "Expert Rites/Dead Letter" we were treated to Randy Newman's "Real Emotional Girl" which I think actually works better in EC's hands than Randy Newman's. EC surprised the Brodskies by calling this song, apparently it was supposed to come later in the set. EC then said, "OK this is the song we skipped earlier, I need to work myself up for this song, it's all about a family, their troubles and the old aunt who despises them all": "I Almost Had A Weakness". EC got some laughs by acting out the lyrics and then tangoing during the solos.
"Either side of the same town" was recorded for EC's 2004 bluesy "The Delivery Man", but it was interesting to find out that it could have ended up on "North", an album of jazz inflected ballads (it certainly would have livened up proceedings on that album somewhat). EC didn't sing it with all the falsetto bits, so I assume those were all added in the later re-write. Then EC said he was going to sing "one of the classics by a great operatic composer". Tom Waits fans in the crowd were evidently amused when "More Than Rain" followed.
After the song EC 'fessed up that it was a Tom Waits song and then said "see, I told it you it was classic!" "Raglan Road" started with Paul Cassidy playing chords on his viola (which I assume isn't easy) which I suppose was to give it more a "folk" feel. EC said "we had to play this song", meaning "The Letter Home" with its lyrics that start with the address on a letter "Willoughby Drive, Parramatta" referencing a Sydney suburb. Interestingly, EC left out a line in "Jacksons, Monk and Rowe": 'find enclosed my signed divorce', singing in it's place the following line 'sad proceedings you endorse' followed by an awkward silence... I assume he just messed up the lyric and couldn't figure out how to recover and I will resist the temptation to assign a more Freudian interpretation. As EC's voice was occasionally dropping out during the more intimate moments, and he was clearly holding a bit in reserve (and applying liberal doses of the magic throat spray) I was telepathically willing him on during "Taking My Life In Your Hands"! Fortunately either my psychic powers worked, or he has hidden vocal reserves, as he managed to sing all the hard bits successfully, but most importantly the climatic moment. "That was really great!" enthused James, my companion. EC said, "That's the end of the first half of the show, don't go away! Or, go away, but come back again!" More big laughs.
We went away but came back again to find the stage rearranged with the addition of a Steinway grand piano (that must have been an effort for someone!) plus a double bass (it was hiding behind the piano so it took some finding, but I knew Greg Cohen was going to be on and presumably didn't keep it in his pocket). Also one of EC's acoustics (a Martin) had mysteriously materialised (he only played it for some of the "Secret Songs").
"Professor" Steve Nieve appeared, and played a very restrained set (for once); almost disappointing really as I was seated directly behind him (for the first time ever). I'd like to watch his hands when he really goes off some times (you know, one of those "Amadeus" moments). Your opinion may vary. Just to make up for the lack of piano histrionics, Steve did bring his theremin to add a few "spooky moments" just for this song. EC got a few laughs by pulling a couple of squeaks out of the theremin himself.
It was good to hear "New Lace Sleeves" but Paul Cassidy's arrangement sounded like a work in progress. Greg Cohen came out to assist with EC's arrangement of "Almost Blue" - a very nice performance all round with one of EC's better interpretations of the lyric. Just near the end, Steve stood up and EC took over at the piano (very well I might add, he's been practising) so that Steve could play his fabled melodica solo.
Then we got what EC later described as the first performance of any of "The Secret Songs" (EC's new opera about Hans Christian Anderson) outside of Denmark (I believe that's not strictly true, he has sung them in a couple of shows in the US late 2005 but without a soprano). In any case it was certainly the first performance south of the giant dotted line (you've got to be careful crossing the equator, those dotted lines are bigger than icebergs!)
"How Deep is the Red" is truly beautiful. Listening to the aria that soprano Antoinette Halloran sang at the conclusion of the song was (for me) close to being a religious experience (well, it might be argued that my entire existence is a religious experience, but I mean my comments to be interpreted in a non-tongue-in-cheek way, for once). The following two songs are good, but not quite as good as "How Deep Is the Red" and then we heard "He Has Forgotten Me Completely" which employs the device of having Anderson write a song (which EC sings), and he then asks Jenny Lind to sing it back to him, and of course he complains that it's now different. For those who say that Opera is no good in English: Watch out, Opera fans! Elvis Costello is in da Opera Haus now, and English opera lyrics finally have a librettist worthy of the genre.
Since this review seems to be getting very long winded, I might quickly add that the best sustained sequence in the show was "Romeo's Seance This Sad Burlesque/I Thought I'd Write To Juliet /The Last Post /The Birds Will Still Be Singing". All from the Juliet Letters and all just effin' brilliant. All the male Brodskies joined in to sing the first "Romeo is calling you" chorus, although EC did the rest of the vocals solo. "This Sad Burlesque" is such a great song, sometimes you really have to hear these songs live to appreciate how incredible they are. He stopped to explain the story of "I Thought I'd Write to Juliet" (based on a real letter EC received from a female soldier serving in the first Gulf War who wrote to him for comfort during a particularly desperate time) adding that he did eventually meet the woman who wrote him that letter some years later. As good as some of the previous songs had been, I was particularly moved by this performance. When Andrew Haverton started playing the "air raid siren" bit I was close to tears (and Popey isn't one for crying). They then moved directly to "The Birds Will Still Be Singing" without pause followed by EC wishing all "Goodnight". There was a minor standing ovation at this point. The performers left the stage after taking their bows and as the house lights didn't come back up the audience kept applauding.
The first encore was "The Scarlet Tide", an Academy Award nominated song about the Civil War that has contemporary resonances. Interestingly the line about bringing "the boys back home" got no reaction at all from the audience (although we are indeed sending some more of our "boys" over to Iraq as we speak) unlike recent performances of the song in the US. I guess we're not looking for pro or anti war statements in songs over here...
EC announced "You'll Never Walk Alone" as a "Richard Rodgers song" (no doubt Oscar Hammerstein II wasn't too impressed by this) and the performers were all introduced by EC, then they took their bows, received floral bouquets from the wings (EC's came complete with a kiss from the female bearer and Steve Nieve got a laugh by pretending that he was going land a smooch on EC too). More raptourous applause and EC asked if we wanted "one more". The only problem being that there was no more, so Antionette was called on to help EC reprise "He Has Forgotten Me Completely".
All in all, a very nice night's Elvistainment.