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Last year, Elvis Costello was forced to cancel six concert dates after a surgery for a "small but aggressive cancerous malignancy."
Fortunately, the growth was small enough to remove in a single surgery, and Costello recovered after a few weeks. But after something as serious as a cancer scare, it would have been understandable if the 65-year-old singer-songwriter wanted to take a year off.
But that's just not the type of guy he is.
In fact, he did quite the opposite. In October 2018, he released Look Now, his 30th studio album. This past summer, he hit the road for a dual headlining tour with Blondie, and barely caught his breath before embarking on his own fall tour with his backing band, the Imposters.
That jaunt, "The Just Trust" tour, stopped at Hershey Theatre Thursday night. The title is in response to the frequent question preceding a show: "Will the band play my favorite song?"
And Costello proved himself pretty trustworthy. He provided a generous 24-song setlist, chock full of classic hits like "Everyday I Write the Book" and "Watching the Detectives" alongside Look Now tracks like "Unwanted Number" and "Under Lime."
There were a few surprises for hardcore Costello fans, too, like rare live performances of "Charm School," from his 1983 album Punch the Clock, and "Crawling to the USA," from 1978's This Year's Model.
Like Costello's catalog itself, the sound throughout the night was quite dynamic. The infectious adrenaline of "Pump It Up" was nicely balanced with quieter moments, like when Costello started the tender "Alison" with just his voice and guitar.
No man's an island though, and Costello knows this. He's surrounded himself with first-class musicians: his longtime collaborators, keyboardist Steve Nieve and Attractions drummer Pete Thomas, esteemed session bassist Davey Faragher, and out-of-this-world fabulous background vocalists Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee.
These players helped to fill out the grandness of so many of Costello's recognizable hits, like his take on Brinsley Schwarz's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding."
The Hershey date was just the second date on Costello's fall U.S. run, and the night wasn't without a few growing pains. At certain moments, it seemed as though Costello had a hard time hearing his bandmates in his in-ear monitors, as his vocals would lag a bit behind the instrumentals. It never lasted for a full song though, and he always rebounded without fanfare, like a true showman.
For the most part, Costello's vocals were impressive given the decades between his most popular recordings and present-day. Some higher notes were softer or breathy, but as the set went on, his falsetto only grew sweeter. The magic, though, has always been in his distinct phrasing, which was a treat to hear live.
Another treat: Costello's well-documented sense of humor, best on display in the anecdotes that accompanied some songs. Before "Accidents will Happen," he recalled a night in Tucson, Arizona, in 1978 when he briefly fell in love with an attractive taxi cab driver. The enchantment evaporated, he said, when they couldn't agree on a radio station.
"It was the end of a beautiful romance," Costello said.
He found a longer lasting love in his audience, though. The attendees at Hershey Theatre spent the last few songs on their feet, grooving as the songs demanded.
"All that screaming and cheering brings back fond memories," Costello said.
On Thursday night in Hershey, it's likely Costello made a few more.
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