Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 25, 2019

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 Minneapolis Star Tribune   1983 August 30 1984 August 31 1986 March 14 1989 February 26 1991 July 14 1993 January 31 1994 May 28 1996 December 15 1999 June 14 2002 June 6 2006 June 27 2006 June 29 2007 May 10 2007 September 13 2007 September 15 2009 May 18  2011 June 30 2014 June 10 2018 October 19 2018 November 16 2019 November 25 2021 October 20  2021 November 5 Minnesota publications  Augsburg College Echo Bethel Clarion Carleton College Carletonian Downtown Journal Minnesota Daily Minneapolis City Pages Minneapolis Star Minneapolis Tribune Minneapolis Star Tribune Mpls St Paul Magazine St. Paul Pioneer Press Twin Cities Reader Winona State Univ. Winonan 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 — Costello's aim, not voice, is true Jon Bream What becomes a punk-rock legend most? When they evolve and impress as serious musicmakers. Think the Clash's Joe Strummer, the Replacements' Paul Westerberg and Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. Then there's Elvis Costello, who is in a league of his own, becoming the Cole Porter of punk, offering R&B, country, jazz, rock and sophisticated pop, among other styles, during a Rock Hall of Fame career featuring one remarkably rewarding album after another. On Saturday at the sold-out State Theatre in Minneapolis, Costello, 65, even proffered two selections from a forthcoming musical about a Wyoming radio announcer who ends up running for political office; it's based on a Budd Schulberg story that was adapted into a 1957 movie, A Face in the Crowd, starring Andy Griffith. Sitting at a grand piano, Costello delivered the impassioned country-soul ballad "A Face in the Crowd" and the country-gospel tent revival "Blood & Hot Sauce," which was dripping with Randy Newman-like Southern-ness, cynicism and irony. Those numbers were easily the highlights of a concert that was surprisingly short of them. If Costello's performance last November at Northrop was one of his most satisfying here, dating back to 1978 at the defunct Longhorn punk club (which he mentioned Saturday), then this return engagement was a rare disappointment. Costello and his band, the Imposters, were not always in sync. At times, his voice was ragged, as if he might be fighting the same flu that sidelined backup singer Briana Lee on Saturday. Moreover, the performance seemed strikingly short by comparison — 105 minutes and 21 selections vs. 150 minutes last year when he thrilled with 30 tunes. Looking dapper with a red fedora and sequined black sport jacket, Costello offered a cross-section of tunes from his entire career, with an emphasis on his 1977 debut My Aim Is True and other early crowd-pleasers. Although he was his usual garrulous and witty self between songs, he seemed musically a little out of sorts much of the night. "Green Shirt" from 1979 felt restrained. "Accidents Will Happen," also from '79, felt like a collision of bad timing between Costello and longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve. "New Lace Sleeves" (1981) felt like a formless piece searching for a musical style. Even "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," a favorite from Costello's second LP in '78, seemed disjointed, with the band failing to find its groove. The ensuing "Stations of the Cross," a 2010 sophisticated cinematic epic, failed to engage the audience even though Costello was singing on one knee at one point and ended the piece with raucous guitar jamming. At least, 1977's "Watching the Detectives" earned an enthusiastic reaction for Costello's vocals with an affected Southern accent coupled with video projections of old movie posters and pulp-novel covers for irresistible titles like Naked Alibi and Murder Plays a Ukulele. The concert turned around on the two exceptional tunes from A Face in the Crowd but still was uneven thereafter. Fueled by Nieve's Farfisa-sounding organ, the fast and furious "Mystery Dance" (1977) and the rocking "Monkey to Man" (2004) were Costello at his up-tempo finest on Saturday, then his voice lost its force on "Radio, Radio" (1978) and went totally low fidelity on "High Fidelity" (1980). While "Alison" was unforgettable last year when Costello was flanked by his two female backup singers at center stage, this time he gave the 1977 pining regret a new treatment, ending it by grafting on the Temptations' Motown classic "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" complete with spot-on falsetto. It was wonderful evidence of Costello's musical creativity and knowledge. It reminded the faithful that no matter the musical style, no matter the issues with Costello's band or voice, his aim is true. Jon Bream has been a music critic at the Star Tribune since 1975, making him the longest tenured pop critic at a U.S. daily newspaper. He has attended more than 8,000 concerts and written four books (on Prince, Led Zeppelin, Neil Diamond and Bob Dylan). Thus far, he has ignored readers' suggestions that he take a music-appreciation class. Tags: State Theatre  •  Minneapolis  •  The Imposters  •  Steve Nieve  •  Pete Thomas  •  Davey Faragher  •  Kitten Kuroi  •  Briana Lee  •  The Clash  •  Joe Strummer  •  The Replacements  •  Green Day  •  Billie Joe Armstrong  •  Cole Porter  •  Rock & Roll Hall of Fame  •  Budd Schulberg  •  A Face In The Crowd  •  Andy Griffith  •  Blood & Hot Sauce  •  Randy Newman  •  Jay's Longhorn Bar  •  Northrop Auditorium   •  My Aim Is True  •  Green Shirt  •  Accidents Will Happen  •  New Lace Sleeves  •  (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea  •  This Year's Model  •  Stations Of The Cross  •  Watching The Detectives  •  Mystery Dance  •  Monkey To Man  •  Radio, Radio  •  High Fidelity  •  Alison  •  The Temptations  •  Motown  •  I'm Gonna Make You Love Me  •  His aim is true Star Tribune, November 25, 2019 Jon Bream reviews Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Kitten Kuroi, Saturday, November 23, 2019, State Theatre, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Images Clippings. Page scans.

External links

• StarTribune.com
• Wikipedia: Minneapolis Star Tribune