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He's not as angry... anymore; last week, Elvis Costello, everyone's favorite misanthrope, played two solid hours of his songs with a few rock 'n' roll classics thrown in.
I was somewhat hesitant about seeing my all-time favorite in concert on August 25. When tickets went on sale a few months ago, I thought twice about shelling out $11.50 plus an 80¢ "service" charge to see someone with a reputation for playing 45 minutes with no encore, or he didn't decide to stalk off stage because the audience wasn't responsive, or because the sound was bad. I plunked my money down anyway. That turned out to be one of the smartest things I've done all summer. Elvis has come to terms with his celebrity, and he's realized that the people who pack auditoriums, concert halls and stadiums do so because they like his music.
"We're having a good time," said Elvis on his August 23 appearance on Late Nite with David Letterman. The audience two days later at Merriweather Post Pavilion could easily recognize that he meant what he was saying. Instead of barking at the audience the name of the song he was about to play like an accused criminal on the defensive. he told them.
Elvis, along with the Attractions, (Steve Nieve on keyboards, Bruce Thomas on bass and Peter Thomas on drums) performed material from his first album, My Aim Is True, up to his current masterwork, Imperial Bedroom.
I had guessed that Bruce Thomas would share in the vocals with Elvis, especially on the songs from Imperial Bedroom, where Elvis' voice had been dubbed and over-dubbed to provide a richer, more textured sound, but I was wrong. Elvis really has great range and sings with real feeling; additional vocals would have proven unnecessary.
Let it be said here and now that Steve Nieve is the best thing to happen to keyboards since Mr. Baldwin. Steve works more magic with a keyboard than Doug Henning could with a million pairs of fake handcuffs. He deservedly received a loud and long round of applause when Elvis introduced his back-up band during a torrid version of "Pump It Up." Steve's orchestration of Imperial Bedroom is beautifully done; the strings are lush where they should be lush. ("Town Cryer") and playful in "And In Every Home." Over-all orchestration can easily make an emotional song maudlin, and special care keeps this album rich without being corny.
Elvis as a man and as a songwriter is no longer a pent-up, rattlesnake with too much spare venom, but a lover who is accepting the fact that there is "no moneyback guarantee on future happiness" ("The Long Honeymoon"). Some things in this world might actually be his fault, too, like drinking too much ("Boy With A Problem").
Elvis is learning to develop a sense of humor about life and what it brings. On a February, 1981 Tomorrow show appearance, Elvis' remarks, while amusing, were often sarcastic and condescending. On David Letterman's show, though, he was witty and able to joke about himself, besides making casual remarks about Batman and musicians on his Nashville-produced Almost Blue album who brought their shotguns to the studio.
For his fifth and final encore of the Merriweather Post concert, one of the stagehands came on stage and announced that this was Elvis' birthday: would the audience please stay seated.
The Attractions came out, followed by someone in a gorilla suit. I wondered where Elvis was. The fact that he could have actually been so silly as to make a monkey of himself in public never crossed my mind until he started to sing. Maybe there is no moneyback guarantee on future happiness, but Elvis Costello is finally learning that you can be happy in the present.
The opening act for Elvis was a four-man New Wave band from England. Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about the gentlemen who comprise Talk Talk (that will change). Perhaps the ultimate compliment for an opening act is when more than 10% of the people present applaud after a song. With Talk Talk, the audience actually listened when they played, and their applause was enthusiastic. The lead singer's voice reminded me of The Jam's Paul Weller with a little throaty Pete Townshend thrown in. The songs were full of great synthesizer chords, and the drummer played with as much heart as Martin Chambers of the Pretenders. Be on the lookout for more of Talk Talk. I'm digging around for an LP from them, and as soon as I get a hold of it I'll be passing more information to you. This band is going places. Remember: you heard it here first.
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