Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 30, 2011

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Spinning wheel, Elvis keeps on turning


Jon Bream

Elvis Costello's showmanship was evident from start to finish in a fun, delightful performance.

With his too-big head and too-small suit (and oversized spectacles), there was something a little cheesy and comical about Elvis Costello when he emerged from England in 1977.

Over the years, the punk rocker evolved into a musical adventurer and sophisticate, the Cole Porter of rock who worked with a classical string quartet, a Swedish opera diva, a New Orleans soul legend, the grand dame of jazz piano and even Paul McCartney. But the humor — and cheese — never left.

Costello has never been cheesier and funnier in concert than he was Wednesday at the State Theatre. He came on like part carnival barker, part game-show host, part lounge lizard, part vaudevillian clown — but never like a rock star. That's because Mr. Hyperactive went interactive, old-school style with his "Spectacular Spinning Songbook" presentation. He used a giant roulette wheel, spun by various concertgoers, to help determine his setlist.

This random shuffle approach did not make for great pacing, but this nearly three-hour show was not about flow, it was about fun — unfettered, free-wheeling fun. Costello, 56, demonstrated his innate goofiness, admirable derring-do, nimble showmanship and endless charm as he joked with wheel spinners who sometimes fudged with the wheel (he assisted them) and then sat at his Society Lounge bar or danced in a go-go dancer's cage as he serenaded them. (Costello even joined Heidi and Lisa, who have listened to Elvis for 30 years, in the cage.)

The evening actually opened with a shotgun-paced barrage of early Elvis, including a revved-up "Mystery Dance" and a rollicking "Radio, Radio." Then it became Wheel of Fortune meets Austin Powers as Costello's quick wit often offset the ballad-heavy luck of the 40-song roulette spin. At one point, he just took over and, without explanation, offered a medley of the Band's jubilant rocker "This Wheel's on Fire" and the smoldering blues "The River in Reverse." That had to rival the "time" medley for the long night's musical highlights as Costello and the Imposters played a few songs with "time" in the title, ending with the intense "Man Out of Time" with the star strolling through the crowd singing and high-fiving fans.

Beyond the versatile, impassioned singing and the delightful raconteurship, Costello proved himself as a guitar star, unleashing everything from Twilight Zone-evoking riffs to wah wah funk to blistering blues. But the instrumental MVP had to be keyboardist Steve Nieve, who added the right atmospheric enhancements, whether it was a jazzy bridge on "Shipbuilding," a churchy organ on "Clowntime Is Over" or weird screeches in "Chelsea."

Costello threw in covers of the Animals' seethingly urgent "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and Prince's joyous "Purple Rain," which was part of a long encore — including the groovy "Everyday I Write the Book," the liberating "Peace, Love and Understanding" and the romantic "Alison" entwined with "Tracks of My Tears" and "Your Cheatin' Heart" — that was all about unfettered musical fun.


Tags: State TheatreMinneapolisMinnesotaThe ImpostersSteve NieveThe Revolver TourSpectacular Spinning SongbookSociety LoungeDixie De La FontaineHostage To Fortune Go-Go CageMystery DanceRadio, RadioThe BandThis Wheel's On FireThe River In ReverseJoannaTime (jackpot)Man Out Of TimeShipbuildingClowntime Is Over(I Don't Want To Go To) ChelseaThe AnimalsDon't Let Me Be MisunderstoodPrincePurple RainEveryday I Write The Book(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?AlisonTracks Of My TearsYou've Been Cheatin'John LennonJohnny RottenCole PorterThe Brodsky QuartetAnne Sofie von OtterAllen ToussaintMarian McPartlandPaul McCartney

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Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 30, 2011


Jon Bream reviews Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Wednesday, June 29, 2011, State Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota.







Elvis Costello's smile-inducing roulette
rock setlist from State Theatre


Jon Bream / Star Tribune Blog

Other Elvis Costello concerts have been more musically satisfying, more carefully orchestrated and more intensely passionate. But none was more smile-inducing than Wednesday's at the State Theatre.

As I discussed in my review, Costello had fun with whomever came onstage to spin his rock roulette wheel. There were two women, best friends since high school who had been listening to Elvis for 30 years; a young woman and her grandmother; a series of married couples, etc.

Always a quick wit, Costello made fun of himself (he said when he first came to the States he tried to sound like a cross between John Lennon and Johnny Rotten; he probably should have made fun of his plaid sportcoat and the too-small gold-lame jacket), joked about giving equal time to Minneapolis and St. Paul, and hurled some political zingers, telling one wheel spinner that the world's last five minutes of entertainment was in her hands because the Rapture is coming. Said Elvis: "The goal here is that they take Glenn Beck and Michele Bachmann first."

Reprising a tour concept from 1986 (that never came to the Twin Cities), Costello's Spectacular Spinning Wheel — which was almost three times taller than Elvis — featured 40 spaces. There were 32 specific songs, three jokers (spinner's choice) and five topics (such as "Time," for songs with time in the title, and "Joanna," which Elvis said is Cockney slang for piano, hence it was pianist Steve Nieve's choice).

Here is an attempt at a setlist for a performance that was nine minutes short of three hours:

I Hope You're Happy Now / Heart of the City / Mystery Dance / Uncomplicated / Radio, Radio / Watching the Detectives / Shipbuilding / God's Comic / Clowntime Is Over / Next Time Round / Man Out of Time / Veronica / Stations of the Cross / ??? bluesy recitation about Louisiana / This Wheel's on Fire (The Band / Bob Dylan) > The River in Reverse / So Like Candy / Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (The Animals)
Encore   A Slow Drag with Josephine / Jimmie Standing in the Rain / Pump It Up (unrecognizable bluesy piano version) > Busted (Ray Charles)
Encore 2   All Grown Up / You Tripped at Every Step / Chelsea / Beyond Belief / Turpentine / Everyday I Write the Book / Purple Rain (Prince) / Alison > Tracks of My Tears (Smokey Robinson) > Your Cheatin' Heart (Hank Williams) > Somewhere Over the Rainbow / Peace Love and Understanding

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