Hartford Courant, August 29, 1982

Bibliography   72 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 UK & Ireland weeklies UK & Ireland magazines UK & Ireland newspapers US newspapers US rock magazines US music magazines US magazines US alternative weeklies European magazines European newspapers Canada  •  Mexico  •  Asia Australia  •  New Zealand South America  •  Africa Blogs  •  Fanzines  •  Books Online publications Hartford Courant   1977 December 11 1980 March 9 1981 March 15 1981 December 13 1982 August 22 1982 August 29 1983 August 7 1983 August 12 1986 March 23 1986 October 9 1989 April 3 1989 August 16 1989 December 21 1991 June 16 1991 June 21 1993 January 21 1993 March 19 1994 June 14 1995 May 11 1996 May 16 1996 August 15 1996 December 19 1998 October 1 1998 October 4 1998 October 15 1999 June 21 2001 April 19 2002 January 12 2002 April 25 2002 June 17 2003 March 15 2003 September 25 2004 September 23 2005 July 24 2006 June 8 2007 September 27 2007 October 2 2008 May 1 2008 November 30 2011 May 25 2011 July 25 2013 November 18 2013 November 22 Connecticut publications  Aslan Cent. Conn. St. Univ. Inferno Connecticut College Voice Connecticut Daily Campus Connecticut Post Greenwich Time Hartford Courant Imagine Kingswood-Oxford News Meriden Record-Journal New Haven Register New London Day Norwalk Hour Stamford Advocate Trinity College Tripod Yale Daily News US publications by state  AL  •  AK  •  AR  •  AZ  •  CA CO  •  CT  •  DC  •  DE  •  FL GA  •  HI  •   IA   •   ID   •   IL   IN   •  KS  •  KY  •  LA   •  MA MD  •  ME  •   MI  •  MN  •  MO MS  •  MT  •  NC  •  ND  •  NE NH  •  NJ  •  NM  •  NV  •  NY OH  •  OK  •  OR  •  PA  •  RI SC  •  SD  •  TN  •  TX  •  UT  VA  •  VT  •  WA  •  WI  •  WY — Innovative rock star shines in Bridgeport Frank Rizzo A lot of it has to do with attitude. Elvis Costello used to be disgusted. Then he was amused. Now he seems simply stunned. The 27-year-old musician always had the cheeky confidence of a man who knew he was one of the best in his field. But his just-business, often humorless, always mysterious, attitude seemed more of a shield than necessary — especially when he was in the safe company of several thousand adoring fans. Costello was in such surroundings Saturday night at, of all places, the Bridgeport Jai Alai fronton. Though the place was far from sold out, the Costello contingent of fans was a musically discriminating one. This wasn't a let's-party crowd so much as it was an audience that appreciated Costello's complex efforts in the pop-rock format. His dorky, horn-rimmed glasses were just one part of the don't-tread-on-me armor. The gawky Costello wore his traditional basic-black outfit, shirt buttoned to the top. His body language was reserved as well. It was a less theatrical performance than he gave in his previous Connecticut concerts (such as his 1978 gig at the Oxford Ale House in New Haven and in '79 at Quinnipiac College.) On Saturday, Costello anchored close to the microphone for most the evening. On occasion he ran his fingers through his hair, wiped sweat from his brow or grimaced in anguish during a particularly emotional song. But, for the most part, his face was a tabula rasa, not a visage that endears. Because of this aloofness, no one is going to adopt Elvis Costello, but if they listen carefully, they will admire him. During his two-hour show, he performed 40 songs — that's four-0 — an amazing number for two concerts, much less one. Costello has always been known as a prolific songwriter and recording artist and his keep-the-songs-coming concert was in keeping with his generous spirit. It was also refreshing and exhilarating, especially in the stinginess of the current rock marketplace. Though his body was not that of the typical rock exhibitionist, Costello's voice was varied and compelling. It was a voice that adapted from raw rock, to punk, funk, country, folk and blues with ease. At Saturday's show, he sounded better, sharper and more in control than ever. Costello opened his show with "Accidents Will Happen," and performed a wide ranging selection from his eight albums from the past five years. Heavily plugged was his latest, Imperial Bedroom. No one seemed to mind, probably because it is one of the best albums of the year. Songs like "Long Honeymoon," "Kid About It," "Man Out of Time," and "Shabby Doll" received not only top renditions but, in many cases, extended play. Costello also played a fair selection of cover material such as the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers," Smokey Robinson's "Head to Toe" and James Brown's "I Got You." Costello was backed by the Attractions, his top-flight band of Pete Thomas on drums ("The General Motors of drums," said Costello), Bruce Thomas on bass ("The future of the four-string,") and Costello's arranger Steve Nieve on keyboards ("A man with as many names as he has faces," he said enigmatically.) Nieve played hot and real-cool-man piano throughout the show. The Jai Alai fronton was a bizarre place for musical groups to perform. The acoustic problems are similar to any barn. Also, its upper balconies sweep far into the back of the fronton, seemingly heading toward downtown Stratford. And because of a moat of cocktail tables and chairs where no one was allowed to sit, the front row was more than 30 feet from the front microphone. Costello was aware of situation and upset by it. Halfway through the performance, he abruptly left the stage. When he returned, the barriers were removed and the crowd surged forward for a better view. It was a typical, hang-the-rules gesture that was in keeping with that Costello attitude. Maybe it's best that he does keep his smiles to himself after all. Tags: Jai-Alai Fronton  •  Bridgeport, Connecticut  •  The Attractions  •  Bruce Thomas  •  Pete Thomas  •  Steve Nieve  •  Accidents Will Happen  •  The Long Honeymoon  •  Imperial Bedroom  •  Kid About It  •  Man Out Of Time  •  Shabby Doll  •  The O'Jays  •  Back Stabbers  •  Smokey Robinson  •  From Head To Toe  •  James Brown  •  I Got You (I Feel Good)  •  Quinnipiac College  •  Oxford Ale House Hartford Courant, August 29, 1982 Frank Rizzo reviews Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Saturday, August 28, 1982, Jai-Alai Fronton, Bridgeport, Connecticut. Images Clipping. Photo by Anacleto Rapping. Page scan.

External links

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