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Elvis Costello pumped it up at the Portsmouth Guildhall last night — and barely paused for breath.
Walking on stage while most people were still in the bar — some still getting served — he surpassed even his own excesses for giving his capacity fans what they wanted.
Costello, peering at his faithfuls from behind the traditional dark glasses, ran song into song as stage chat took a distinct back seat.
And as average — by his own high standards — as the first 40 minutes were, the second half proved a rich concoction of new and old, atmospheric and energetic.
Fifteen minutes of philosophical finery — the first two songs played without The Attractions to 2,000 pairs of hushed ears and the last two, "Pills and Soap" and the sensuous "Shipbuilding" — opened the doors for a magical second half.
There was a good mix of vintage classics such as "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives," and yoking pretenders such as "Everyday I Write the Book" to keep the atmosphere highly charged.
Costello's vocals — squeezed out through tight lips and still sounding like one glorious perpetual cold — were offset perfectly by The Attractions tightest, brassiest sound yet.
He played out with his biggest hit "Oliver's Army" and the battering "Pump It Up" to prove beyond all doubt that The Imposter deserves the highest respect after eight years in the business.
Earlier, The Pogues, a band Costello discovered himself in a London pub, gave one of the most refreshing performances I have seen for some time.
As raw as Costello was polished, the five lads and one lass combined Irish folk with the energy of punk in 30 delightful minutes to provide the perfect appetiser.
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