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NO-ONE seemed terribly sure why Elvis Costello decided to play just one date in support of his vibrant new album The Delivery Man, but his Scottish fans were delighted he had selected Barrowland as the location, even if a couple of hundred extra devotees could have been accommodated round the sidelines and at the back of the hall.
The new songs were mostly convincing. Current single Monkey To Man was dispatched with rootsy swagger, Country Darkness was suitably yearning, and Either Side Of The Same Town was simply as great as anything Costello has performed in his career. Yet, something was missing - that extra push for the brilliance you know he is capable of.
He made a judicious selection of old and new, and returned for an extended first encore, beautifully partnering newbie Nothing Clings Like Ivy with Good Year For The Roses. Interestingly, he favoured tracks from debut album My Aim Is True on this outing - a sign that he and his Imposters (featuring two former Attractions) were feeling youthfully virile.
However, indulgences staggered in and came close to derailing the latter stages of the concert. Shipbuilding pulled the set back from the brink, but it tottered again, until the final salvo of Oliver's Army, (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? and Pump It Up provided a belated reminder what he can achieve.
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