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CHICO — Singer songwriter Elvis Costello brought his considerable songwriting, singing and guitar playing skills to Laxson Auditorium Tuesday night for a stripped down performance that still managed to rock the house and leave the crowd wanting more after several encores.
MICHELLE: Last year, we saw Elvis Costello in Reno at a big show — the whole band was there. This time it was just Costello. He deviated from his set, just because he felt like it, or so he said. I think the essence of a musician is the live performance. It's literally changed my mind about who I like and who I don't. And I like Elvis Costello. But I think it was less of a rock show, and more about the songwriting.
ALLEN: Costello mentioned several times that he came from a musical family. He noted that his father, who passed last year, toured Northern Britain as a singer. In some respects I felt this was a tribute to his father. I think of Elvis Costello as a Seventies and Eighties punk rocker, but in this show he was more of an old-timey music hall performer.
MICHELLE: I think he's still relevant. And hits matter less in a world where it's no longer completely up to what a few radio stations play. After Dan DeWayne's introduction, Costello simply walked out on the stage and played from the guitars surrounding him.
ALLEN: The format meant Costello had to steer away from some of his harder edged material. It would have been unwise to try to try to fit "Pump It Up" into this performance. Nevertheless the audience was treated to classics like "Alison" and "Watching the Detectives" mixed in with less familiar tunes that highlighted his skills as a songwriter.
MICHELLE: That's why hearing an acoustic versions of songs is fun — it's familiar, yet different. I was sad I didn't get to hear "Pump It Up," even though it wasn't that kind of show. There, I said it. And I wished he'd have done "She," (from the movie Notting Hill) which is perfect for a more stripped-down show. But this is a performer who has so many great songs to choose from, you're not going to hear all of them in one evening. I just felt lucky that we didn't have to drive three or four hours to see him. Dan DeWayne scores for Chico yet again.
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