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Modern music man Elvis Costello and songwriter/performer Nick Lowe graced the Rec Hall Wednesday night in what was billed as a "solo" performance — well, sort of.
An aging Nick Lowe, long-time master of catchy tunes and pop drivel, opened for Costello with the best of what he's best at. Clad "only in his humble, $3,000 guitar," Lowe presented such standards as "Cruel to Be Kind" and "Big, Big Love." Little substance here, but the audience warmed to him and was particularly receptive when Costello took the stage.
Costello's long-time band, the Attractions, was noticeably absent; but in its stead, a slide show, gramophone, go-go booth, an "identity change" and his famed spinning wheel of songs all contributed to a spectacle tantamount to one of television's better-known game shows.
The evening's frivolous tone undermined what was in other respects an extraordinarily diverse performance. Costello mesmerized his audience for the first hour with a series of lesser-known songs from his most recent albums, Blood & Chocolate and King of America.
Accompanying himself with only piano, guitar and an occasional harmonica, Costello lived up to his reputation as one of today's most versatile performers with a repertoire that included folk, rock and — the Grateful Dead. To the delight of the audience, he doled out a soulful rendition of the Dead's "Hide Your Love Away."
"King of America" and "Working Man" were delivered to the tune of a single acoustic guitar, at times carried a capella. "Evil Town," Costello's plaintive commentary on drugs, "started as a flirtation / became an expensive habit."
Costello proved to be an engaging personality as well as a talented musician. Intervals between songs were punctuated by banter with the audience, outbursts of songs and quips about his recent "holiday." This last had Costello utilizing such props as an umbrella and slides from different locales around the world.
In contrast to the first half of the show, the latter half took on all the atmosphere of Wheel of Fortune or The Price is Right, complete with host "Xavier Valentine" and audience participation.
Following a false "good-night," Costello returned to the stage — but not as Costello. Exhibiting a good deal of theatrical flamboyance, he returned as "Napoleon Dynamite," a slicker, faster-talking version of his former self. "Dynamite" proceeded to tell the audience that the fun was now about to begin.
The fun included Costello's famed spinning wheel of songs, a large, red and yellow wheel surrounded by multi-colored flashing lights. Audience members were pulled on stage to spin the wheel, and he played whatever song on which the wheel stopped next. These ranged from duds like "Home is Anywhere You Hang Your Hat" to Costello classics such as "Pump it Up" and "Watching the Detectives."
The wheel and Costello's stage presence would have been more than enough to pull this off. Spectacle was piled on top of spectacle until the stage was filled with a go-go booth, assorted dancers from the audience, a TV "lounge," the wheel, Costello, et al. Too many components distracted me and I lost sight of the reason — and the person — I went to see.
The majority of the people around me seemed to enjoy themselves, though I did glimpse a few looking rather perplexed. One thing's for sure: Costello is anything but dull.
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