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The inimitable Elvis Costello makes his first local concert appearance in two years when he and his band. the Attractions, headline a Langford Auditorium concert bill one week from tonight.
Costello, who has released five outstanding albums in the U.S., has penned such popular tunes as "Allison," "Watching the Detectives," and "(What's So Funny 'bout) Peace Love and Understanding."
He has a tremendous following and has received widespread critical acclaim here and in his native England, but skirtings with controversy (e.g., his ballyhooed fistfight with Bonnie Bramlett in a Louisville tavern) and his criticism of radio ("the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools tryin' to anesthetize the way that you would feel") have hardly in-creased his airplay.
Still, his biting, often satirical lyrics and hard-driving, tightly wound music have endeared the Buddy Holly lookalike to millions, as his albums Armed Forces and Get Happy have attained platinum status (more than one million copies sold.)
Costello's concerts generally showcase dozens of his crisp, brief songs and very little stage pratter. Accompanied by thumping bass lines and '60s-ish organ fills, he snarls out lyrics like "I want to bite the hand that feeds me" and "I would rather be anywhere else than here today."
Opening for Costello and the Attractions will be China Squeeze. whose "Cool for the Cats" recently became the highest-selling single ever for the A&M label in Britain.
Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are presently on sale at the main desk of the Sarratt Student Center on the Vanderbilt campus, where the Langford Auditorium is also located.
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