San Jose Mercury News, June 21, 2006
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Costello and Toussaint in Oakland
Michael Bazeley, 02:02 AM in Concerts
By Shay Quillen
Mercury News
Liverpool met New Orleans on Tuesday as Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint joined forces at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre. As on their new collaboration, "The River in Reverse," Costello took most of the lead vocals, while Toussaint added his trademark piano and some nifty new arrangements performed by the four-piece Crescent City Horns. The result was a generous 2½-hour show that highlighted both men’s songwriting acumen while paying tribute to Toussaint’s battered hometown.
Some of the Katrina-related material from the new album – Costello’s angry "Broken Promise Land" and the title track, for example – didn’t impress. But there was more than enough good stuff to satisfy anyone in attendance.
Costello and the Imposters kicked the evening off with Nick Lowe’s "Peace, Love and Understanding," a tad more restrained than usual, before welcoming the horns, guitarist Anthony Brown and finally Toussaint, who glided onstage halfway through "Monkey to Man" to warm applause.
The rest of the show interspersed material from the new album – a mix of some of Toussaint’s weightier vintage compositions and new ones by both men – with selections from both men’s voluminous catalogs. One treat was new Toussaint horn arrangements for nine older Costello tunes. While they weren’t quite as inspired as his brilliant work on the Band’s "Rock of Ages," they added a refreshing dimension to songs both familiar (an "Alison" featuring flute and soprano sax) and nearly forgotten (a terrific "The Poisoned Rose" from "King of America.")
Toussaint was an inspired accompanist throughout, and he also took the occasional turn on the mike, singing the irresistible 1961 hit "A Certain Girl" early on, and later delivering the ’70s-era "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)." Costello’s right-hand man, keyboardist Steve Nieve, mostly stuck to the Hammond B-3 organ, but he did take over the piano stool long enough during the encores for a sharp "Clubland" solo that seemed to please Toussaint. The horn section was first-rate, and charismatic trombonist "Big Sam" Williams in particular made a nice impression with his forceful solos.
Toward the end of the set, a couple of dark, dense numbers sans Toussaint hampered the good vibes slightly, but a string of Costello oldies starting with "Watching the Detectives" got the crowd back on its feet.
It was after 10:30 when the whole gang came out for one final set of encores, and the New Orleans party that had been threatening to break out all night finally erupted with the inevitable "Yes We Can Can" and a fun "Fortune Teller," before the show closed on a poignant note with the best of the new Toussaint-Costello collaborations, "The Sharpest Thorn."
It will be fun to see which favorites they pull out of the Toussaint songbag Wednesday at the Mountain Winery. I for one would love to hear Elvis take a crack at "Ooh Poo Pah Doo."
Contact Shay Quillen at squillen@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-2741.
