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DENVER — It's been seven years since Elvis Costello played Denver, so few knew what to expect at his Paramount Theater concert Friday night. Did he still like his powerful punk-era rock songs, or had he forsaken them for the introspective mid-tempo tunes of his recent albums? Would he be an emotional and impassioned performer, or cool and distant?
During the course of an almost three-hour show that included four lengthy encores, Costello showed those in the virtually sold-out hall that he's as exciting as rock gets. Yes, he still likes his muscular, dramatic rockers — he and his superb long-standing combo, the Attractions, played "Oliver's Army," "Green Shirt," "Pump It Up," and "Accidents Will Happen."
He played guitar a lot. And yes, he showed off plenty of relatively unfamiliar but fine newer songs from his All This Useless Beauty album. And he was full of energy — today is his 42nd birthday. What was astonishingly new about Costello was his growth as a vocalist. He hasn't forgotten — in finest post-punk tradition — how to shout with defiance over a fast, loud song. But he's also learned how to alternate that voice, within the same song, with one that's quieter, more soulful and filled with longing and tension.
Using this riveting technique, Costello let his songs extend themselves, or he constructed touching medleys. Costello seemed able to shape his songs spontaneously, as if following his heart with whatever seemed right at the moment.
I've seen Costello four times previously, going back to 1978. Nothing prepared me for this. What a triumph!
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