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A volcano in geek glasses and a shrill jacket erupted at the Palumbo Center last night.
Elvis Costello pounded so hard on his acoustic guitar its a wonder the thing didn't cringe. And his voice rose to a fearsome, werewolf growl.
But while intensity is the first word that springs to mind to describe last night's solo guitar and vocal performance, Costello actually offered much more. Craft, for instance.
Over a decade ago, Costello first married the anger of punk to songwriting ability on a par with the Beatles and Bob Dylan. He emerged as one of the most important pop music figures of the last 10 years. Spike, his latest record, proves he's still growing as a writer.
Songs from Spike provided many of last night's highlights. Among them were two tunes Costello co-wrote with Paul McCartney: "Veronica," a bouncy, melodic number with moving lyrics about an old woman losing her mind, and "Pads, Paws and Claws," one of many Costello explorations of sexual politics.
"God's Comic" concerns a drunken priest who meets his maker, and "Let Him Dangle" uses a celebrated British murder case to decry capital punishment. Both songs feature deliciously grim, catchy choruses.
Costello sat down to better handle the tricky chords of "Baby Plays Around," a torch song co-written by his wife, singer Cait O'Riordan.
Costello also performed past greats such as "Mystery Dance," "Watching the Detectives" and "Green Shirt."
Revealing some influences, he segued from "New Amsterdam" into the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away."
During "Radio Sweetheart," he veered off into Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said."
And Costello positively incinerated a version of the Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood."
There was showmanship as well as music, with a wacky request segment. Costello appeared as pitchfork-wielding Monsignor Napoleon Dynamite.
"Let the howling commence!" he shouted, as a henchman dressed as a werewolf descended into the audience of 3,387 for volunteers. Those selected plucked flags inscribed with different "sins" (awesomeness? architecture?) from a huge model of a broken heart. Costello then took requests from each volunteer.
He finished the show with two songs from his first album that probably remain his most popular: "Red Shoes" and "Alison."
Costello's friend and sometime colleague Nick Lowe opened the show with a strong solo guitar set of his own. Lowe later joined Costello for several duets, including "His Latest Flame" by the other Elvis. Remember him?
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