Boston Globe, April 3, 1989: Difference between revisions
(formatting) |
(formatting) |
||
Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
NEWTON | NEWTON — "You probably don't remember me," the bespectacled, self- proclaimed "beloved entertainer" said, upon walking on stage. "But I was there before you were born. I was a friend of your mother's." | ||
self- proclaimed "beloved entertainer" said, upon walking on stage. | |||
"But I was there before you were born. I was a friend of your | |||
mother's." | |||
Actually, Costello was plying his trade well before most of the | Actually, Costello was plying his trade well before most of the college-age audience at Boston College's sold out Conte Forum had hit puberty. Costello is currently riding as high as he ever has; he's got ''Spike,'' a hot new album backed by a vast cast of musicians. So what does he do? He plays a short, low-profile college tour pretty much excluding the general public — which he kicked off at BC — and tours without a backing band. Backstage, he termed it "acoustic rock 'n' roll." | ||
college-age audience at Boston College's sold out Conte Forum had hit | |||
puberty. Costello is currently riding as high as he ever has; he's got | |||
''Spike,'' a hot new album backed by a vast cast of musicians. So what | |||
does he do? He plays a short, low-profile college tour pretty much | |||
excluding the general public — which he kicked off at BC — and tours | |||
without a backing band. Backstage, he termed it "acoustic rock 'n' | |||
roll." | |||
Which, except for one dizzying moment, it pretty much was. The | Which, except for one dizzying moment, it pretty much was. The moment? "Pump It Up," in which Costello plugged in an electric guitar, a taped rhythm track kicked in and Costello played a screeching, careening, wonderfully disorienting version of the song which could only be termed Costello-goes-acid house. (He also worked a bit of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" into it.) It was — literally and figuratively — an electrifying moment, and as Costello keeps honing his show, he might want to include more of those. He reportedly has another five tunes on tap. | ||
moment? "Pump It Up," in which Costello plugged in an electric | |||
guitar, a taped rhythm track kicked in and Costello played a | |||
screeching, careening, wonderfully disorienting version of the song | |||
which could only be termed Costello-goes-acid house. (He also worked a | |||
bit of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" into it.) It was — | |||
literally and figuratively — an electrifying moment, and as Costello | |||
keeps honing his show, he might want to include more of those. He | |||
reportedly has another five tunes on tap. | |||
Costello's always loved varying sets and rearranging songs. Friday, | Costello's always loved varying sets and rearranging songs. Friday, many rearrangements included snippets or whole chunks of covers. Some highlights: a beautiful weave of the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" into "New Amsterdam," a fullblown rave-up of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" after "Radio Sweetheart," and, most hilariously, a line from the Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" into "God's Comic." This latter bit came just after Costello — as God — mused that He should have turned over the world to "the monkeys." Monkeys/Monkees: Get it? | ||
many rearrangements included snippets or whole chunks of covers. Some | |||
highlights: a beautiful weave of the Beatles' "You've Got to Hide | |||
Your Love Away" into "New Amsterdam," a fullblown rave-up of Van | |||
Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" after "Radio Sweetheart," and, | |||
most hilariously, a line from the Monkees' "Last Train to | |||
Clarksville" into "God's Comic." This latter bit came just after | |||
Costello — as God — mused that He should have turned over the world | |||
to "the monkeys." Monkeys/Monkees: Get it? | |||
It was quite a splendid, generous (nearly two hours) show, with | It was quite a splendid, generous (nearly two hours) show, with just a rare glitch or two, such as a guitar malfunction on "Veronica." These days, Costello is every bit the showman — there's some Ray Davies music-hall entertainer in him — and mixed obscurities and favorites. He shifted moods from the tension-fraught "Green Shirt" to the country tearjerking of "Almost Blue" to the rockabilly-retooled "Pads, Paws and Claws" to the obsessive, romantic brooding of "I Want You." | ||
just a rare glitch or two, such as a guitar malfunction on | |||
"Veronica." These days, Costello is every bit the showman — there's | |||
some Ray Davies music-hall entertainer in him — and mixed obscurities | |||
and favorites. He shifted moods from the tension-fraught "Green | |||
Shirt" to the country tearjerking of "Almost Blue" to the | |||
rockabilly-retooled "Pads, Paws and Claws" to the obsessive, | |||
romantic brooding of "I Want You." | |||
The place where the show needs some work is its second half, where | The place where the show needs some work is its second half, where Costello hauled out a large giant (broken) heart where various "sins" were attached as rolled-up banners. The sins were for such things as lust, avarice, gluttony, awesomeness and, yes, Geraldo. Someone in a wolf's costume waded into the boisterous audience and selected someone to come up on stage, be blindfolded and select a random sin. Then, they were supposed to select a Costello song that reflected that sin. As it turned out, what folks selected most were the old staples, such as "Alison," "Less Than Zero" and "Watching the Detectives" — songs that had little to do with the sin in question. It got a little predictable. But Costello sang them as if he meant them — although they're less tense and more gentle now — and he delivered pretty much all the goods for which one would hope. | ||
Costello hauled out a large giant (broken) heart where various | |||
"sins" were attached as rolled-up banners. The sins were for such | |||
things as lust, avarice, gluttony, awesomeness and, yes, Geraldo. | |||
Someone in a wolf's costume waded into the boisterous audience and | |||
selected someone to come up on stage, be blindfolded and select a | |||
random sin. Then, they were supposed to select a Costello song that | |||
reflected that sin. As it turned out, what folks selected most were | |||
the old staples, such as "Alison," "Less Than Zero" and "Watching | |||
the Detectives" — songs that had little to do with the sin in | |||
question. It got a little predictable. But Costello sang them as if he | |||
meant them — although they're less tense and more gentle now — and | |||
he delivered pretty much all the goods for which one would hope. | |||
Costello's pal, and new Warner Bros. recording artist, Nick Lowe | Costello's pal, and new Warner Bros. recording artist, Nick Lowe opened with a set of his quick-witted faves and a couple of new ones. Lowe, who later joined Costello on "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," was as self-deprecating and engaging as ever. | ||
opened with a set of his quick-witted faves and a couple of new ones. | |||
Lowe, who later joined Costello on "(What's So Funny About) Peace, | |||
Love and Understanding," was as self-deprecating and engaging as | |||
ever. | |||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} |
Revision as of 21:58, 5 October 2013
|