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Where were you on Friday the ninth? Swilling keg Miller and listening to the latest MTV supermegagigantistar at a less-than-exciting party? If so, you missed out on one of the best artists to rise from the ashes of the late-Seventies New Wave movement — Elvis Costello.
Costello's music defies classification. One might call it pop — but it is too soulful; one might call it new wave — but it is so much more. Costello's verbal gymnastics and lush arrangements put his music in a class of its own.
A small but appreciative audience at the Dallas Convention Center was treated to a superb performance. There were no children (defined as those not licensed to drive under the liberal provisions of the Department of Motor Vehicles) running around in size "small" Led Zeppelin jerseys hanging past their knees; no firecrackers exploding, frisbees flying, lighters flashing; no laser lights or video screens; in short, none of the kiddie technopop found at most concerts.
The older, more mature crowd came to see one thing: Elvis and the Attractions.
Dressed in his trademark Red Shoes, Buddy Holly glasses, and a coat which screamed "middle-class," Costello displayed none of the prancing histrionics which brand so many performers today. He simply stood at the mike and performed his material, occasionally gesturing awkwardly.
The opening tune set the mood for the rest of the evening: lush, energetic arrangements of his more recent material. The TKO Horns, swinging their instruments around like the Pips with dumbbells, provided orchestration to fill the gap left by Costello's studio voiceovers.
The Attractions, who have been with Costello since his third album (Armed Forces, for interested discographers), are possibly the best backing band 'in the business. Individually very talented, they mesh together to create a tight background for Costello's distinctive voice.
The Attractions are a highly versatile band. They can adapt to Costello's myriad musical styles, from the James Bond-esque "Watching the Detectives" to the rip-roaring "Mystery Dance."
Particular praise must go to keyboardist Steve Nieve, who eschews the computer-driven synthesizer sound in favor of a clean, electric piano tone. His fingers do the work, not a microprocessor. From his roundhouse, slap-the-keys style on "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" to his sensitive interpretation of "Shipbuilding," Nieve provided subtle counterpoints to Costello's voice.
Costello was in good voice for this show, powerful on the rockers, tenderly wrapping his voice around the lyric of the ballads. He has a great love of puns, multiple internal rhymes, and extended metaphors.
In "Pidgin English," for example, he muses on his lover's inability to communicate: "Silence is golden, made of diamonds and ermine / There's a word in Spanish, Italian and German / In sign language, Morse code, semaphore and gibberish. / Have you forgotten how to say it / In your pidgin English?" Limitations of space prevent the writer from illustrating further.
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