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It was a perfect triple bill. Elvis Costello, the "angry young man" of the New Wave; his producer and neo-pop star Nick Lowe; and sandwiched between, the original Spanish Johnny, Willy "Mink" DeVille.
Unfortunately the show was only about two-thirds sold out. When it began at 7:30 there were perhaps 100 people in the audience. A few hundred more sauntered in during Nick Lowe's opening set but most of the crowd missed some excellent rock 'n' pop from Lowe and his backup band Rockpile.
Lowe opened his 30-minute set with his soon-to-be-released single "And So It Goes," an energetic power-pop tune that quickly won the sparse crowd over. Rockpile, the group Nick used as back-up musicians, is really legendary guitarist's Dave Edmunds' band. Edmunds played rhythm guitar for most of the songs while guitarist Billy Bremner embroidered Lowe's already tasty tunes. Lowe played bass and drummer Terry Williams kept things tight.
Lowe then launched into the jumping "I Knew the Bride Before She Used to Rock 'n' Roll" with its Chuck Berry "Never Can Tell" melody. "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" with its infectious Bo Diddley backbeat got the audience bouncing in its seats.
Edmunds then took over the spotlight with a couple of his own numbers, the sizzling country-rocker "Down, Down, Down" and "Fallin' In Love Again" on which he also played some pithy lead guitar.
Lowe took over again and performed "Young and So Fine" with its chorus line, "She's got a pair of tits that just won't quit." "They Call It Rock," Lowe's poke at the music industry and his final number "Heart of the City" kept the audience in the palm of his hand and proved that painted faces, giant toothbrushes and so much glitter are not needed to get the point of rock 'n' roll across to an audience. Lowe's all-too-short set ended and he received a standing ovation from the swelling crowd. Mink DeVille had better be good.
Willy DeVille was dressed to the nines. He wore a three-piece suit, skinny Italian tie and a lavender shirt. In each ear hung tiny gold cross earrings. Every hair in his high pompadour was in place. Roach-killer shoes covered his shuffling feet and he brandished a burgundy-colored guitar. The rest of his five-piece band was similarly decked out. Willy flashed a smile to the crowd just before the suave group leader took the crowd for a ride on the "Back of the Bus." It was driven by Willy's Lou Reed-styled delivery and powered by gurgling sax and rippling piano. Mink DeVille showed that they are the class of the New Wave.
Like a shot the band ripped into "Gunslinger" from their first album and then Willy strutted his stuff on the cool "Spanish Stroll." "Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl," a gently rocking ballad showed off Willy's extraordinary voice as did the next number, Phil Spector's "Little Girl," on which Willy played acoustic guitar and harmonica. The band sounded like the one Dylan's been looking for all his life. Near the end of the tune they picked up the tempo and took it on home.
Willy took off his guitar and came back to center-stage with his jacket slung over his shoulder. He lit a cigarette. Nonchalantly blew smoke as he stood at the mic. A baby blue spotlight like moonglow cast his shadow on the floor. He leaned against an imaginary lamppost and did some street corner talkin' to the crowd in a Righteous Brother-sounding tune called "Guardian Angel," complete with watery piano and castanets. The number was a showcase for his band and once again his great balladeer's voice. It ended with Willy's finger snaps and a tremendous applause from the cheering crowd. Springsteen eat your heart out.
"Cadillac Walk," an aggressive rocker which featured razor-sharp slide guitar and slogging drums and "Soul Twist" from the new album Return to Magenta brought Mink DeVille to the end of their set. They returned for an encore. The tune they came back with was a James Brown-style funky rave-up. Willy screamed like the godfather of soul himself as he was slippin' and slidin' around the stage. While his boys kept up the intense backbeat he executed perfect knee-drops which brought the crowd to its feet. Needless to say, Willy and da boys will be back in town.
Even though the show wasn't a sellout, the crowd was ferocious in its love for Elvis. As the houselights dimmed, Elvis and The Attractions, with instruments in-hand, hit the stage like bank robbers running for a getaway car.
The bespectacled Elvis was a stark figure wearing a white untucked shirt. Gone was his rummage sale jacket and tie. Gone too was the nervousness and ill-at-ease manner from the first time he'd played Austin back in February. Gone too was the thatched-hair which was now fashionably longer.
But the tension was still there. Even though he seemed looser it was easy to see that he was still a tightly-coiled steel spring that could lash out at any moment. With a "Wipeout" drum intro Elvis & Co. ran through a frenetically-paced "Mystery Dance." He looked truly amazed at the reaction as girls screamed and clamored for his body. Elvis is a well-known misogynist, at least in song, and that type of response seemed more in-place for Gino Vannelli. Elvis is also an intellectual songwriter and there were many who were actually singing along with his complex lyrics.
Elvis didn't wait for applause but raced right into "Pump It Up" and "Waiting for the End of the World" in tandem. "End of the World" was taken at breakneck speed and lost all the finesse and the loping rhythm the original has. The group blew through the Who-like "No Action" like they were on speed, and like the other songs before it the lyrics were nearly indecipherable.
"Less Than Zero" was performed in a listless manner, but was saved by Steve Young's organ solo which sounded like a combination of "La Bamba" and "Telstar." Serious roller rink music.
The crowd was surging around the stage as security guards began telling individuals to take their seats and even shoving others who wouldn't move back. Elvis was plainly peeved at this reaction from the guards. He shouted into the mic, "It's beginning to look like a fucking prison camp up here! I don't know about you but I wouldn't like someone in a uniform with a big stick to push me around!" With those words a near riot broke out as most fans in their seats reacted with words in kind. But most of the crowd returned to their seats for the time being.
 Elvis then performed a country-western tune, "Stranger In the House," from his import LP of This Year's Model. When Elvis jumped into "Red Shoes" the emotion seemed to finally come through in his singing like it hadn't in his previous songs. The band ran through "This Year's Girl," "Miracle Man" and "Lip Service." Elvis was manic in his gesturing and minimal guitar playing but the band worked as if it was all of a piece. They were so tight a unit that if Elvis sneezed the rest said Gesundheit!
Elvis and The Attractions performed a new ballad, "Party Girl." "Watching the Detectives," Elvis' bizarre movie-in-song, was next and with Pete Thomas' spectacular reggae drum work and the spooky lead guitar line, it pulled the audience all the way into Costello's private world. "Detectives" is clearly Elvis' most intriguing song and the performance was the show's tour de force.
E.C. & Co. then ran through the frenzied "On The Beat" with its line, "I don't wanna be your lover, I just wanna be your victim," aimed directly at the audience.
"This next tune is off my album My Aim Is True," Elvis told the fans before slipping into the bittersweet ballad "Alison." Elvis was in particularly fine voice and the heart-wrenching lyrics came across truer than ever.
"You Belong to Me" had the crowd dancing in the aisles again and then marching towards the stage as Elvis shot the finger at them, saying, "I hope this'll get a bit of life into you! If you don't know what's wrong with radio, you don't know what's wrong with you!" Then he attacked the crowd with "Radio, Radio," his Molotov cocktail hurled at the medium. After that song Elvis and his gang sprinted off stage as the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
Minutes later they came back and launched into "I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea." Elvis played more guitar in this tune over the machine gun-like drumming and the sneaking bass line.
After they received a second encore they drove like a locomotive through "Lipstick Vogue." On "I'm Not Angry" Elvis aimed his guitar at the crowd like a machine gun. They answered him on the chorus line screaming "I'm Not Angry"!
Finally Elvis stalked off stage followed by his group. He'd again delivered a riveting and electrifying performance.
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