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You can tell PK German, University Union's concert committee, is getting big when a deejay on MTV announces a concert to be promoted by them.
Saturday night it was reported on MTV that Elvis Costello would be opening his touring schedule at the University.
And yesterday, PK German Co-chairmen David Fitzgerald and Thomas Widener confirmed the MTV rumor.
Fitzgerald said the show, to take place in University Hall on Tuesday, April 10, is "probably the first date of the tour."
Widener and Fitzgerald said Costello would be performing without his backup band, the Attractions, but that Attractions keyboardist Steve Naive, "the chairman of the boards," may accompany Costello on the solo tour.
There will probably be an opening act for the show, according to Widener, although he was uncertain who, Costello or PK German, would arrange the opener.
Costello, whom Rolling Stone music critic Dave Marsh said looks like "Buddy Holly after drinking a can of STP oil treatment," appeared on the rock scene shortly before the original Elvis' death and is considered one of the first and the most talented artists of Britain's 1976-78 new wave revolution.
His debut album, My Aim Is True attracted wide-spread attention, was selected as the years best album by Rolling Stone magazine and is now a rock classic.
The disc featured such well-crafted songs as the brutally honest "Alison," a bittersweet tune of guilt and seduction; the politically radical "Less Than Zero," which knocked British fascist leader Oswald Mosley; the swinging "Blame It On Cain," "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" and "Pay It Back;" the apocalyptic "Waiting for the End of the World"; and the simple, clever and effective "Watching the Detectives."
Subsequent discs by Costello echoed some of the themes and styles introduced on My Aim Is True — guilt and political matters were victims of Costello's scathing criticism on This Year's Model and Armed Forces.
As with the debut, the next two albums had the same, perhaps more realized driving passion that has characterized all of Costello's work. This Year's Model included the contagious, spastic rocker "Pump It Up," while Armed Forces highlighted the catchy "Accidents Will Happen" and "Oliver's Army."
Get Happy, Costello's next album was an interesting departure from his first three discs, and although it still contained some good material; such as "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," it failed in its lack of vision evident in the earlier tunes.
Taking Liberties was a compilation of Costello's B-sides from singles and despite such fine tunes as "Girls Talk" and "Stranger in the House" it lacked the unity of the first three albums.
The next two albums Trust and Almost Blue were not entirely successful either, the former because the strained sound quality muddied up Costello's always devastating lyrics; the latter because it was a rather lifeless interpretation of country standards.
The problems evident on the albums since Get Happy seem to have been resolved on Costello's most recent works, Imperial Bedroom and Punch the Clock.
The two discs, especially Imperial Bedroom, signal a rebirth of sorts for Costello's ability to combine strong, clear music with his always forceful statements.
Imperial Bedroom may have some of the best use of aural montage technique on any pop album since the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper. This is due mainly to Geoff Emerick's fine production. The album includes the powerful "And In Every Home" and "Man Out of Time."
A more rocking, less profound work, Punch the Clock is highlighted by the pleasant "Everyday I Write the Book." Although Punch the Clock lacks the brilliance of several of Costello's older albums, it includes some of his catchier songs.
Costello fans will have an opportunity to view another side of the complex man in the University Hall appearance — Costello solo.
Both Fitzgerald and Widener believed the fact that Costello would be appearing solo would be no real detriment to selling the show out.
"It [the show] holds so much potential with him solo," Widner said. "A lot of people won't know what to expect cause maybe they've seen Elvis (Costello) with the Attractions but not without."
Besides the Elvis Costello concert, PK German is pursuing a March 3 dance in Memorial Gymnasium with the new rising band, Big Country.
Although the group has not confirmed the date yet, Fitzgerald said, "If I had to bet on it I'd say we were gonna get it."
Other concerts PK German has booked for this semester include the Feb. 26 concert featuring Phyllis Hyman and Pieces of a Dream in University Hall and the March 24 Steve Goodman concert in Cabell Hall Auditorium.
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