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LOS ANGELES — "This is a Janet Jackson number," said Elvis Costello, introducing his next tune at the Beverly Theater.
It wasn't, of course, but Costello's fans wouldn't have been too surprised to hear him raid the Jackson family repertoire. After all, the material for his five-night engagement at the Beverly already had ranged from the Hollies' "King Midas in Reverse" to "Twist and Shout" to "Pretty in Pink" to the honky-tonk country of "The Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line."
Oh yeah, he performed a bunch of Costello songs as well, some of them newer than either of the two albums he has released this year.
Costello's return to the road, which brings him to Chicago's Riviera Night Club for a three-night stand starting Sunday, represents the most audacious step in a career long marked by audacity.
Where most artists employ a carefully-rehearsed set of songs, Costello is altering his selection drastically each night. He's touring with two separate bands as well. Some nights he plays with the Attractions, his longtime British trio. Other nights find him working with the Confederates, featuring T Bone Burnett and the legendary James Burton on guitars.
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