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Being a critical success and respected the world over is great. But it doesn't always sell tickets. Elvis Costello is a case in point.
Costello, one of the more respected innovators in popular rock music today, brought his classy, low-tech road show to the Mud Island Amphitheater last night.
The response was loud and enthusiastic, but just a little disappointing in size. Little more than half of the 4,500 seats in the outdoor theater were occupied.
Those who showed up, though, especially the dedicated core of fans in the first 20 or so rows, displayed roaring approval of the English-born Costello and his group, the Attractions.
Costello began his fast-paced set shortly after 9 p.m., striding on stage in a typical drab gray suit and immaculate pair of pointy red patent leathers.
After a hasty greeting, Costello immediately broke into the bright, brassy "Let Them All Talk," a song from his ninth and newest album, Punch the Clock. From there, it was practically non-stop.
He followed that with another single from the new album called "Possession." Then, Costello went to his older material, including "Man Out of Time," from the acclaimed Imperial Bedroom album of last year.
The small amphitheater stage didn't leave much room for Costello and the Attractions to move around. The stage lighting was sometimes distracting (occasionally a huge spotlight shined right into the audience) and sometimes brilliant. At one point, the entire stage was lighted a bright green, leaving Costello out front under a stark red spotlight for contrast.
With saxophones, trumpet and trombone blaring in unison and keyboards playing a prominent role, Costello's guitar became little more than a prop. His voice wasn't great, either. It never was, and nobody expected it to be last night. What the audience came to see — and what Costello delivered — was simply class.
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