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Just when Elvis Costello should have been assuming the crown as the new champion of rock — last night at Paramount Northwest, opening night of his first major American tour — he laid an egg.
Even his staunchest fans would have to admit that the show was, at the least, puzzling. It certainly was less than he's capable of doing.
Not in amount of time — although, at just over 45 minutes, it was awfully short for a rock concert — but in delivery. He held back. He never stepped over the line, never fully connected with the crowd. Just when the show began to take off, it ended — decisively. The lights went up and the crew began dismantling equipment.
The abrupt action, undoubtedly preplanned, seemed to say, "Enough for you, peasants," to an audience that was standing, screaming for more. It surely didn't win Costello any fans.
The show was all the more disappointing because Elvis just released the best new album to come out in months, Armed Forces. All of the potential apparent in earlier recordings, and in shows like the one here a year ago, was totally realized, thanks largely to Nick Lowe, the brilliant producer.
The thing that makes the album stand out, though, is the writing. Elvis' lyrics set him apart, not his unconventional looks nor his anti-rock-establishment stance (questionable after last night's show, and his fat contract with Columbia).
How he presents them has a lot to do with it — the exciting, imaginative, pure rock rhythms he uses to fill out his words and give them dimension and power. The music is secondary.
The words were there last night, but they didn't come from the heart, soul and gut. It was all surface. Costello was just going through the motions.
The show was much more flashy than last time. Literally. There were lights over, under, around and through the band. Sometimes they were effective (an eerie blue haze that crept into the audience during "Oliver's Army") but more often predictable (a green bath for "Green Shirt," a red one for "Lipstick Vogue").
Last year's minimal look was gone. The three-piece band was spread out across the stage, with plenty of equipment. The look said success. Even Elvis' check jacket, black shirt and pink tie, and bassist Bruce Thomas' pink outfit, were a step up from last year's basic black.
Steve Naive (last year it was Mason), the keyboardist, had the best look. Skinny black pants, Union Jack vest, nose and glasses sticking out from under a thatch of hair — he was right out of The Muppets.
More than that, Steve was the one strong element of the album that came through in concert. His imaginative use of electric organ and piano brightened "Goon Squad," "Peace, Love and Understanding," "Oliver's Army" and the encore of "Radio, Radio" and "Pump It Up" — the best songs in the show.
Other than those, the most interesting tunes were new. There was one about opportunity which opened the show, and a fantastic love-song/Motown sendup using legal jargon, "I Stand Accused of Loving You."
Both expanded common Costello themes: wordplay and thoughts about power and control. Ordinarily his songs have a twofold effect: the words get your mind going and the beat gets your feet moving. Last night that didn't happen enough.
Possibly it was because it was the first night of a 55-city tour and he just didn't have his act together. But that leads to the discomforting thought that Seattle was only a dress rehearsal for California.
The Rubinoos, the opening act for the tour, is in for a hard time, if last night's audience was typical. The imaginative pop band from Berkeley was roundly booed, apparently for doing "conventional" rock — and maybe also for being young and cute.
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