Minneapolis Star Tribune, May 9, 2007

[[1]]

Concert review: Elvis Costello still shows great aim

Thirty years after his debut, the British vet rocked out in vintage style.

By Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune

May 09, 2007

For a guy who tours even more often than he reissues an album (which he does a lot), Elvis Costello once again managed to repackage his live show into a fresh, inspired outing Tuesday at Myth nightclub.

Choosing the sleek, hi-fi Maplewood venue was just the start of the surprises offered by the British rock vet, 52, whose last played the Twin Cities on a theater tour with New Orleans legend Allen Touissant for their 2006 album, "The River in Reverse." That gig featured Elvis like we'd never seen him before. This one was more the kind we always hope to see -- with loads of energy and playfulness and just enough of the radio hits to, well, pump up the crowd of 1,900.

Costello's only new product so far this year is another line of reissued CDs, including the 30th anniversary edition of his debut, "My Aim Is True," and two early-career compilations. He and his ever-reliable Imposters -- who watched the Arctic Monkeys tear up First Avenue a night earlier -- spent the first half of Tuesday's show hastily and excitedly digging through a treasure trove of under-appreciated gems from the '70s and '80s. The run included "Shabby Doll,"Lovers' Walk,"Little Triggers,"Party Girl" and "Beyond Belief," plus one nugget from 2002, "Alibi," which topped them all.

The show's first real hit, "Watching the Detectives," didn't arrive until a dozen songs in, and it came with an added dose of playful, gritty jamming. After "Detectives," Elvis introduced a new song called "American Gangster Time" that he said was about an unnamed "mercenary bastard." Hmmm.

The rest of the hits came in the two encores, which together almost lasted as long as the hourlong regular set. Besides "Pump It Up,"Radio, Radio,"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding" and a solo/acoustic "Alison," Costello also left the crowd panting with extra-feisty versions of "High Fidelity" and the Beatles' "Hey, Bulldog."

Chris Riemenschneider