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DETROIT — Beneath the checkered, Salvation Army surplus sports jacket and the wonderfully crazed lyrics is an Elvis Costello who knows the meaning of rock 'n' roll.
Old Masonic Auditorium teetered on oblivion's edge Friday night at the mercy of Costello and the Attractions.
Their 60-minute blitzkrieg of rock was overpowering, almost desperately fanatic — something akin to the recent Springsteen bash at Cobo.
Ears and eyes are the great equalizers at live shows. In the final analysis, it's what a rock musician does in front of a hot-blooded mass of people that counts.
Strip away the poetry (Costello's lyrics are nothing less) and you're left with a beat.
There were so many thrilling performances Friday, my senses were reeling at the end. These four guys play as a unit better than any band I've heard.
There was nothing flashy about the solos — Costello simply suggests riffs on his guitar rather than play them. But I felt fulfilled at the end of each tune, like I'd heard all that was necessary to hear.
But, then, Costello wants his listeners to participate in his music, to fill in the spaces.
He prods the audience on by plucking his guitar rather than attacking it, by squirming rather than leaping across the stage.
The light show was also compelling, especially in "Lipstick Vogue" when everything went out on stage to spotlight Costello in blood-red.
Renditions of "Watching The Detectives," "Pump It Up," "Green Shirt," and "Two Little Hitlers" outclassed the studio versions.
Other noteworthy performances included "Oliver's Army," "Accidents Will Happen," and "The Angels Want to Wear My Red Shoes."
Costello's visceral attacks on sham, frustration, rejection and subjugation are just hinted at in his albums. All the seething fury in his songs escapes on the stage.
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