Albany Times Union, December 12, 2009

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Costello and guests make a wonderful 'Spectacle'


Tim Goodman

There is a moment in the Season 2 premiere of Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... where the camera catches a look on the faces of a few people in the audience who are beginning to put together what Costello, in an improvised musical introduction, is getting at when he talks about rock gods of the past and the rare few in the last 20 or so years who have climbed the mountain. He's going on about four lads from Dublin, Ireland. Their smiles widen. One person mouths "wow" as Costello turns and introduces Bono and The Edge from U2 — his first guests on television's best music show.

For those who missed what the Sundance Channel was able to do in Season 1 of Spectacle — that is, create an intimate, intelligent, wonderfully original showcase for "talk and roll" — it's probably time to get on the bandwagon. The first episode aired Wednesday at 10 p.m. (The Season 1 DVD boxed set is available—and endorsed—right now.)

Filmed at both the Apollo Theater in New York and the Masonic Temple in Toronto, Spectacle is the result of unique thinking and smart decision-making at Sundance — branching out to make a show that takes the time to take music and artists seriously. But mostly the show works because Costello is the ideal host.

A musical chameleon who has worked in every genre from rock to country, jazz to classical, and put his irrepressible sense of musical history to good use for decades, Costello paid immediate dividends in Season 1 by proving he could engage in dialog with just about anyone — from Smokey Robinson to Lou Reed (no mean feat, that latter one). He also brings out the fascinating elements in artists like Jenny Lewis, whom some people may not have heard of, or overexposed stars like The Police, all the while making the whole thing feel like an intimate chat in their kitchen.

Part interview, part jam session and periodically a ridiculously fun and rare romp through forgotten chestnuts, Spectacle is the kind of series that gives singers, songwriters and musicians their due — instead of adding them on at the end of a late-night talk show to sell an album or to make the show look hip.

In Season 2, Costello will talk and play with Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Neko Case, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and a string of others. There are a lot of elements that make Spectacle the best music show on television but the most important litmus test is that you can tune in and either not know or not like the guest, only to find the hour flying by because Costello, like only a fellow musician could, manages to get stories out of them that others (think Jay Leno) could never do. He even got Reed to laugh last season.

The first two episodes of Season 2 prove immediately the diverse appeal of the show and Costello's sense of the moment. The jaded among you might think that another 12 seconds of Bono might, in fact, be 11 more than you can tolerate, but the U2 front man either gives up the posturing and cumbersome earnestness to tell old school tales about the band or Costello niftily guides him away from the soap box. Either way we get a bit of musical history (U2 was once fourth on a bill headlined by Costello), some wonderful tales (especially one involving Frank Sinatra) and myriad songs. The audience, who didn't know Bono and The Edge were the guests, is clearly appreciative.

That booking coup — like The Police and Lou Reed last season — owes a lot to the fact these people either respect or are friends with Costello. The latter is helpful because he can get people normally content to tell the press the same anecdotes over and over again to feel like they are sharing a pint at the local. That leads to yarns, not clichés.

A week after the U2 bigwigs, Spectacle has Sheryl Crow, veteran Jesse Winchester, Ron Sexsmith and Neko Case in a semicircle, sitting on stools with their guitars, swapping stories and songs. Crow, for most, will be the draw but there is a moment when she's listening to Case — who has one of the best voices in all of music — and the wishful envy is almost palpable (who wouldn't want those pipes?). So, too, is it great to see a guy like Sexsmith, known more for the songs he writes than his own performances, get a moment to shine.

Looking forward, you know the Springsteen episode might have the potential to be a classic, though Lowe and Thompson are two you need to watch out for, even if you're not yet aware how great those hours are going to be. That's the beauty of Spectacle right there.

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Albany Times Union, December 12, 2009


Tim Goodman previews Season 2 of Spectacle.


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