|
Besides the obvious advantages in logistics and economy, the current popularity among rock stars of the solo performance also offers a chance to take risks. Appearing onstage without the armor of a band, some singers' personalities and material flourish. Such was the case Wednesday evening at Constitution Hall, where Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett performed compellingly.
Mr. Burnett, a lanky Texan, trades in parables and allegories whose characteristic meter is a muted variation on Bo Diddley's "shave-and-a-haircut-two-bits" shuffle. Although he rarely used another time signature, Mr. Burnett's set was elegant and riveting, incorporating new material as well as songs from his critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful Warner albums Trap Door and Proof Through the Night. Mr. Burnett was slow to establish a pace, but once he hit his stride he carried a restive audience along on the strength of his honest emotion.
The crowd was more receptive, even adulatory, toward Mr. Costello, a stocky, sometimes contentious Englishman who has recast himself several times in the course of a career that began during the punk rebellion of the mid-'70s. Moving back and forth between electric and acoustic guitar and piano, Mr. Costello sang and played with drama and assurance. Mr. Costello was once rock's reigning angry young man; he still sings convincingly of anger, but the past tense infuses his tone and inflection. Bereft of a backing band's blare, Mr. Costello's pun-laden lyrics, subtle vocal style and spare but dynamic guitar-playing stilled the capacity audience's mumbling disquietude.
The surprise of the evening was Mr. Costello's facility at the keyboards. The singer, who is known for his stranglehold approach to guitar playing, displayed perfect piano posture and a strong, sure hand as he accompanied himself on "Shipbuilding," "Kid About It" and other songs that gained new life from the solo setting.
The only disappointment about the show was a malfunctioning loudspeaker that buzzed distractingly throughout both artists' sets. Considering that the promoters only had to amplify one singer at a time, they should have taken greater pains with their equipment. Nothing ruins a quiet musical moment like insect noises emanating from a blown speaker.
|
