A last minute, little publicised gig in the heart of the capital offered considerable consolation for all those who couldn't make it down to recent Feile marathon in Tipperary.
It came in the form of a shaggy, hirsute, and bespectacled entertainer who tread the late night boards at The Olympia Theatre with considerable aplomb, and provided one of the most dynamic live performances which this reviewer has witnessed in recent times.
Elvis Costello is a man with a mission, and while his raison d'etre for playing a late night show in Dublin on the eve of his "Trip To Tipp" (to headline on the following night) might have been to fine tune his act with backing band The Rude Five, their drive and delivery sounded like anything but a dress rehearsal on the night.
Quite a number of local faces were amongst the lucky few who got wind of the show and came along for a look, and right down to the sixth and final encore, there was no doubt that it was a journey well worth while.
From the discordant opening clang of that marathon "Tokyo Storm Warning" it was fun, fun, fun, as Elvis mixed and matched the new ("The Other Side of Summer," "Hurry Down Doomsday" and "So Like Candy" from the latest Mighty Like a Rose album,) with the old ("Almost Blue," "New Lace Sleeves" and "Accidents Will Happen").
And it was all rounded off with a lengthy, and highly indulgent series of encores which included an audience participation "God's Comic"/"I Want You" medley, and some of those storming old favourites from dim distant history "Alison," "Oliver's Army," and "Pump It Up."
Elvis Costello might have lost that lean, mean look that took his snarling, angry voice and punk Buddy Holly looks to the masses, but he has retained all of the old energy and dynamism, and has evolved into a consummate musician and troubadour of breathtaking scope and depth.
Incidentally, reports have it that the man didn't quite manage to pull it off with such effect before the baying masses in the fields of Tipperary on the following night.
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