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Elvis Costello, the most successful musical act to emerge from the recent New Wave movement, brought his "Armed Funk Tour" to the Auditorium Theater Saturday night for nearly 2,000 enthusiastic fans. Despite its brevity, the show was an enjoyable experience.
Backed by his original three-piece band, The Attractions, Costello performed feverishly, with both class and arrogance. Though he worked hard onstage, Costello rarely showed any verbal appreciation for his audience and never smiled. It seemed as though he felt he was doing us a favor by just being there.
Playing material mainly from his newest album, Armed Forces, Costello & Co. ripped through the set with the speed and intensity of a machine gun. On occasion, he would pause between numbers to quickly introduce the next. The audience enjoyed his repertoire and didn't shout out requests even though "Alison," "Red Shoes," and some of his other popular songs were missing from the show.
He is best known for his blend of sophisticated lyrics with simple, yet melodic, rock 'n' roll. Musically, he falls somewhere between Buddy Holly, Bruce Springsteen, and The Dave Clark Five. The Attractions proved to be a tight and able accompaniment to Costello's fiery voice and guitar.
Although his songs are often four-chord progressions with no room for extended solos or improvisation, they never became boring due to Costello's electrifying stage presence. He had one of the most exciting lighting set-ups ever to be used by a rock performer, much like that of Springsteen's.
But it's not just music that makes Costello appealing. His visual awkwardness and punk charisma make him too interesting to ignore. Lyrically, he is usually bitter and cynical, lashing out at almost everyone from his former girlfriends to the press and radio people who assess his music.
Born Declan Patrick MacManus 24 years ago in Britain, Costello dreamed of being a rock star in his late teens while working as a computer operator. In the summer of 1976 he stood outside the London hotel that hosted the CBS Records international convention. With just his guitar, he gave street corner serenades for the company's executives as they entered and left the hotel. That eventually gained him a contract with Columbia Records ... it also got him arrested for disturbing the peace.
Besides being a dynamic performer, Costello is a master of manipulation. He held complete control of the audience throughout, even reprimanding it once for its curbed behavior.
"Don't sit down you lots," he shouted angrily, "stand up!" He left the stage after only playing for 57 minutes. As soon as he walked off, the house lights came up and pre-recorded music was piped through the P.A. system as to imply there would be no encore. Costello, however, had every intention of doing an encore, yet this unusual procedure drove the audience into such a frenzy that when he did return a few moments later, it had much more impact.
After a highly energetic five-minute encore of "The Beat" and "You Belong To Me," both from his second lp, This Year's Model, he was gone again. The short show didn't seem to upset the audience which left the hall smiling, yet drained.
The Rubinoos, a West Coast quartet that opened the show, displayed a lively 30-minute set that won everyone's approval and one encore. Deeply rooted in the mid-sixties British Invasion, they did several covers of hits made famous by The Beatles, The Ventures and Tommy James.
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