|
Elvis Costello, rock's angry young man, hasn't had a hit on the radio in some time, but his popularity continues to grow.
The English singer-songwriter is proving that he doesn't need to follow the latest fad or trend in rock style. His manner of writing, performing, even dressing, doesn't fit the mainstream, but he has great influence over where rock develops.
Saturday night Costello presented his biggest and longest local concert at UC-Berkeley's outdoor Greek Theatre.
If the atmosphere wasn't as cozy as at his smaller and shorter (barely over half an hour) Berkeley Community Theatre show three years ago, it was certainly more satisfying. Three songs into Saturday's show Elvis announced: "Good Evening. This time we're gonna play more than 40 minutes!" The soldout crowd of 8,500 let out a big cheer, even if they had missed the earlier show he referred to, they had probably heard about it. Elvis' career has been built on controversy.
This time the concert began with one of Costello's oldest songs, "Accidents Will Happen," and wound through 36 songs of personal and global politics in a two-hour stretch before ending on an unusually optimistic note with "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding," a tune penned by Costello's record producer Nick Lowe.
If there was a problem here it was simply that in spite of all the brilliant and varied song arrangements by Costello and his band the Attractions, for all but the die-hard fans, there was just too much material to absorb at one sitting. Costello is prolific on record, too. Some of his albums cram 10 songs on a side.
Last year Costello went through a big country music phase, recording an album in Nashville with producer Billy Sherrill (who also produces Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Charlie Rich and dozens of other country stars). This year Elvis included a bunch of R&B songs, a Smokey Robinson tune, a smattering of the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers," even James Brown's "I Got You (I Feel Good)."
As with his hour-long show at the Warfield Theatre last year, Costello now seems less angry than during his punk-era rise to stardom in the late '70s. He can croon Sinatra-style on a few numbers, add a bit of wistfulness and melancholy, and the fans still go nuts.
As with his approach to music, his appearance is unusual, resembling a musical Woody Allen with short haircut, horn-rimmed glasses and baggy gray suit. His show had a similar low-budget feel to it There were no production gimmicks or frills, fancy backdrops or fog machines. The usual spotlight operators were absent; instead the band used only an overhead lighting rig that put a bit of color, but mostly white light on the musicians.
The sound system was loud and clear on everything except Elvis' vocals, which are still unintelligible.
For gimmicks you can catch any number of pop acts. What Costello provided was music, intense, rocking and exciting. As in every show Costello has done since his local debut in 1977, he was aided only by his three-man Attractions, multi-keyboardist Steve Neive, drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Bruce Thomas. On Costello's just-released Imperial Bedroom album the band is augmented by an orchestra, but on stage Saturday the band sounded just as full. The group whipped through one song after another with few breaks.
There were enough familiar tunes to keep first-timers happy, and a bunch of newer songs including most of the latest album, plus a few obscure older songs. Costello delivered them in a good mix of old and new, fast and slow.
One of his best-known and oldest songs, "Watching the Detectives," was given a new and more dynamic arrangement, with the band quieting near the end as the lights dimmed, only to roar back a couple of times with increased fervor. "Mystery Dance" was treated as if it were Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" on an amphetamine rush. Costello sobbed his way through the new "Town Cryer," added "Temptation" and a slow "Alison," as well as the dance-rockers "Pump It Up" and "Radio, Radio."
Some unusual touches included "Boy with a Problem" and the new, not-yet-recorded "The Shipbuilder."
What makes Elvis work, and what makes his music connect (when the tunes run together faster than the ear can follow) is his sheer intensity of delivery. Even on slower songs he sang with eyes squinted closed, as if every line contained a lifetime's worth of passion and emotion.
Perhaps the most convincing of the three dozen songs wasn't even Elvis' own, but his wild, out-of-control version of Little Richard's "Slippin' and Slidin'."
Costello dropped in enough stage humor and body language to indicate that, just as each of his shows in the past few years has revealed more of his enigmatic character, there are still enough surprises in store to keep rock and its fans on their toes through the rest of the '80s.
| 
