In an extraordinary scene, the audience filed out of the Berkeley Community Theater Friday after the Elvis Costello concert openly grumbling and griping about the show.
"I feel ripped off," said one concert-goer as he crossed Milvia street in front of the theater. "It's not a matter of money. It's a matter of expectations."
Indeed, such sentiments should be understandable, given Costello's 45-minute, 15-song (no encore) performance of almost entirely unfamiliar material.
The house lights snapped on as soon as Costello and the Attractions finished "Radio, Radio," the first song of the concert from his first two hit albums. The remainder of his concert repertoire came from either his recently released LP, Armed Forces, or songs yet to be recorded.
Of all the British new-wave rock artists to emerge over the past couple of years, only Costello found any major commercial acceptance in the States. His appeal is strongly predicated on the distinctive, rageful songs from his first two albums, My Aim Is True and This Year's Model — the very songs he omitted from his concert program.
Clearly, Costello refuses to do what is expected of him. Although this is undoubtedly one of the attributes that endears him to his fans, he cannot expect loyalty to last through many concerts like the ones at Berkeley.
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