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CHARLOTTESVILLE — Elvis Costello was getting back to basics last night at the University of Virginia's University Hall. Both Costello and singer-guitarist T Bone Burnett, who opened the show, stood onstage without accompanists.
Costello divided the evening almost equally between acoustic and electric guitars and piano. He was hardly the image of a rock star, looking through thick-rimmed black glasses, sporting a crewcut and wearing a suit. He wore no earrings. And the spread-eagle stance was absent.
In short, the singer-songwriter, one of the first of the musicians in Britain to rebel against the plasticine rock styles running rampant in 1977, surprised many with his buttoned-down act.
Costello presented the softer side, an emotion-filled style that has surfaced only when he appeared to be bored with the hurdy-gurdy rock 'n' roll he has developed with the Attractions, the band he has performed with religiously since breaking into the music scene.
The set was steeped in the musical tradition of the '40s and '50s, full of sentimentality, a bit serious at times and always slow in tempo. A prolific songwriter, Costello often has put 20 songs on an album. His songwriting stood bare last night, as did his sarcastic wit, unmelodious voice and guitar playing.
Without supporting voices and instruments, the set lacked punch and failed to maintain sufficient momentum. Costello stood on his own for 60 minutes, at best, of the 90-minute set.
But there were some bright moments, as in "You're Not the Only Flame," where his electric rhythm guitar technique came to the fore. Clear, quick jabs from his twangy Telecaster set a piercing accompaniment to the newly composed ballad.
"Shot With His Own Gun," played at the piano, and "Worthless Thing," an admonition to the advent of cable television, further demonstrated that Costello was trying to set a mood on this tour, an effect rather like his previous experiments with country music.
Burnett combined the flippancy of Arlo Guthrie with the doctrines of Bob Dylan but filled the shoes of neither. Given time, his talents as a songwriter should develop, as should a personal style, which at present is neither memorable nor unique.
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