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Elvis Costello's career has traversed as many musical genres as it has decades, from punk to country, and even classical. Last weekend's show at the Iveagh Gardens was a reprise of his mid-1980s incarnation, with a traditional four-piece rock 'n' roll set-up featuring Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas.
With so much global unrest, Costello could have wielded his most pointed and scathing political songs ostentatiously. While there was no denying the timely poignancy of numbers such as Thatcher-era "Pills And Soap" or "Shipbuilding" — apart from a mischievous mention of it being good to be back "in Europe" — Costello avoided laying the message on too thick.
He injected some fun into the proceedings by instigating a call-and-response interlude during an almost calypso-style rendition of "Everyday I Write the Book," and then delivered practically all his greatest hits, including pulsating renditions of "Pump It Up" and "I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea."
Although splendid, Iveagh Gardens doesn't have the intimacy of an indoor venue, especially obvious during renditions of soulful standards such as "She" and "Good Year for the Roses." Despite this, Costello proved his vocals remain in fine fettle.
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