Orlando Sentinel, March 4, 2005

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 Orlando Sentinel   1984 June 27 1984 August 7 1986 March 16 1989 February 26 1993 January 29 1994 March 18 1995 May 19 1996 May 24 2002 April 19 2002 November 4 2003 September 26 2004 September 21 2005 March 4 2006 February 24 2006 June 16 2008 May 16 2008 May 19 2012 April 24 2015 March 13 Florida publications  Newspapers Boca Raton News Bradenton Herald Cocoa Today Daytona Bch. News-Journal Florida Times-Union Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel Fort Myers News-Press Gainsville Sun Lakeland Ledger Miami Herald Miami News Ocala Star-Banner Orlando Sentinel Palm Beach Post Sarasota Herald-Tribune Seminole Beacon St. Petersburg Evening Ind. St. Petersburg Times Tallahassee Democrat Tampa Bay Times Tampa Tribune University publications Central Florida Future Florida Atlantic Sun Florida Flambeau‎ Miami Hurricane Rollins College Sandspur Saint Leo Univ. Lions Pride Stetson Reporter Magazines and alt. weeklies Boca Raton Magazine Boca Raton Observer Brow.-Palm Bch New Times Miami New Times Orlando Weekly Tropical Depression 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 — Elvis Costello delivers the musical goods Jim Abbott The singer teams with The Imposters for a show that highlighted fresh layers of old and new material. When Elvis Costello played Hard Rock Live in 2002, the singer put on a solid rock show that reflected the pleasing focus of When I Was Cruel. Costello, never content to mine the same influences for long, dabbled more on the country side on his latest release, The Delivery Man. Yet the singer's generous and brilliant performance on Wednesday at House of Blues expanded that stylistic turn in wonderful ways, while devoting plenty of time to fiery versions of old favorites. For two hours and 15 minutes, Costello teamed with the Imposters — bassist Davey Faragher, drummer Pete Thomas and keyboardist Steve Nieve — to produce a show that constantly revealed engaging new layers in old and new material. Lest anyone think that Costello had gone country, he opened the show with a blistering 15-minute rock salvo that included clanging versions of "Uncomplicated" and "Radio, Radio." The latter was folded seamlessly into the mix between When I Was Cruel's "Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)" and "Button My Lip," Delivery Man's raucous opening track. Hearing the songs in sequence was a reminder of the consistency of Costello's creativity amid all the genre-bending side trips through the years. The opening moments also foreshadowed the tremendous presence that the band would exert all night. Nieve's spiraling keyboard arpeggios and alien-sounding theremin on "Uncomplicated" provided an atmospheric counterpoint to the pounding rhythm section. Dressed in a dapper, all-black suit and glittery silver boots, Costello was an amiable host, though he didn't waste time exchanging too many pleasantries. "How ya doing?" he asked several times. Later, he offered a few obligatory theme-park jokes. With this kind of a band, let the music do the talking. Although the keyboard solos were an obvious element, bassist Faragher emerged as the group's hidden weapon, lining the musical background with melodic bass figures and adding beautiful high harmonies to the country-tinged Delivery Man ballads. Replacing Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris, Costello's studio duet partners on the album, is a daunting task, but Faragher was more than capable on the tear-stained "Country Darkness" and "Heart Shaped Bruise." The transformation in the former was a revelation, with the steel guitar of the album version replaced by a stately Memphis blues feel that allowed the country melody to sneak in almost unannounced. Those two songs illustrated that Costello is making subtle sonic changes to The Delivery Man in concert. A more muscular edge often replaced the twangier studio approach, unearthing the bluesy DNA behind "Needle Time" and "Either Side of the Same Town." By comparison, the older songs were executed with more faithful exuberance: "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" and "Pump It Up" were charged with ageless passion. Other favorites were juxtaposed with material that accented intriguing contrasts: A bouncy "Watching the Detectives" burst out of the simmering "When I Was Cruel No. 2" as if it were ricocheted from a slingshot. "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" found its way into the middle of "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror" in the same way that Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds" folded into the conclusion of "Alison."' At the end, there was Costello singing "The Scarlet Tide," without a microphone, standing in the shadows. Country darkness never looked so good. Tags: Orlando  •  Hard Rock Live  •  November 1, 2002 Orlando (concert)  •  When I Was Cruel  •  The Delivery Man  •  Davey Faragher  •  Pete Thomas  •  Steve Nieve  •  Uncomplicated  •  Radio, Radio  •  Tear Off Your Own Head (It's A Doll Revolution)  •  Button My Lip  •  Lucinda Williams  •  Emmylou Harris  •  Country Darkness  •  Heart Shaped Bruise  •  Needle Time  •  Either Side Of The Same Town  •  I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down  •  (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?  •  Pump It Up  •  Watching The Detectives  •  When I Was Cruel No. 2  •  You've Really Got A Hold On Me  •  Deep Dark Truthful Mirror  •  Elvis Presley  •  Suspicious Minds  •  Alison  •  The Scarlet Tide © 2005 Orlando Sentinel Communications Orlando Sentinel, March 4, 2005 Jim Abbott reviews Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Wednesday, March 2, 2005, House Of Blues, Orlando, Florida. Images Clippings. Photos by Jim Carchidi. Photos by Jim Carchidi. Page scans.

External links

• OrlandoSentinel.com
• Wikipedia: Orlando Sentinel
• elviscostello.info