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Could Elvis Costello, rock's angry young man, be mellowing?
His lyrics remain as contentious as ever. But Costello's performance Saturday night at Madison Square Garden revealed a heretofore unseen congeniality.
Costello was personable and, at times, downright playful during the two-hour concert.
Sporting a new look — shoulder-length hair and a beard — Costello did a sprightly little dance during "The Other Side of Summer" and scampered in a circle at the conclusion of Mose Allison's "Everybody's Crying Mercy But They Don't Know the Meaning of the Word."
Except for a few powerful barbs aimed at Michael Bolton and Madonna (whom Costello called "a hussy"), which came during a spoken interlude in the compelling "God's Comic," the British singer-songwriter let his lyrics and delivery convey his combativeness.
Costello's engaging stage manner and anger-laced lyrics, however, weren't the only diametrically opposed forces at work during the show. Costello is a genius at marrying his ire at social and political indecencies with smooth, melodically arresting music.
And it is this prodigious technique that allowed one to walk away from the performance which drew heavily from Costello's latest album, Mighty Like a Rose, and reached back to such classics as "Accidents Will Happen," "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," and "Alison" feeling enlightened, not bludgeoned.
Helping Costello interpret his challenging, uncompromising music were The Rude 5, the same outstanding unit that toured with him on his Spike tour.
Costello's recent albums have relied heavily on studio technology (14 keyboard parts, for example, are overdubbed on "The Other Side of Summer"). But neither spirit nor sentiment was lost in the stripped-down instrumentals provided by Costello, alternating between acoustic and electric guitar (with a brief turn on piano), and keyboardist Larry Knechtel, bassist Jerry Scheff, guitarist Marc Ribot, and drummer Pete Thomas (the only holdover from Costello's long-standing group The Attractions).
It was their raw, propulsive instrumentals that kicked "Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)" and "Pump It Up" into overdrive, while their understated elegance heightened the emotional impact of "So Like Candy" and "Harpies Bizarre."
Costello and The Rude 5 return to the metropolitan area for two shows, Aug. 9 at the Jones Beach Amphitheater on Long Island and Aug. 10 at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel.
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