Philadelphia Inquirer, November 13, 2013: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> Elvis Costello, both stripped-down and plugged-in </h3></center> | <center><h3> <!-- Elvis Costello, both stripped-down and plugged in --> Elvis Costello detours in show at the Merriam </h3></center> | ||
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<center> Sam Adams </center> | <center> Sam Adams </center> | ||
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In truth, the evening's departures were many, if not from Costello's pet subjects, which he once more pithily summed up as "revenge and guilt," then at least from his usual onstage repertoire. Opening with "Jack of All Parades," a rarely performed number from his 1986 high-water mark ''King of America'', Costello proceeded to such relative obscurities as "Mouth Almighty" (1983's ''Punch the Clock''), "Mr. Feathers" (2008's ''Momofuku''), and "Home Truth," from 1984's ''Goodbye Cruel World'', which Costello has labeled the worst album of his career. | In truth, the evening's departures were many, if not from Costello's pet subjects, which he once more pithily summed up as "revenge and guilt," then at least from his usual onstage repertoire. Opening with "Jack of All Parades," a rarely performed number from his 1986 high-water mark ''King of America'', Costello proceeded to such relative obscurities as "Mouth Almighty" (1983's ''Punch the Clock''), "Mr. Feathers" (2008's ''Momofuku''), and "Home Truth," from 1984's ''Goodbye Cruel World'', which Costello has labeled the worst album of his career. | ||
The stripped-down format can be a great way to reclaim songs once buried in dated production — see Neil Young's Unplugged renditions of songs from his synth-heavy ''Trans'' — but in spite of highlights like the melancholy "Rocking Horse Road" and a wistful "After the Fall," the concert's first half lagged as Costello unveiled one midtempo acoustic guitar number after another. The songs needed more varied accompaniment, either from a band or a more inventive guitar player to distinguish one from the next. | The stripped-down format can be a great way to reclaim songs once buried in dated production — see Neil Young's ''Unplugged'' renditions of songs from his synth-heavy ''Trans'' — but in spite of highlights like the melancholy "Rocking Horse Road" and a wistful "After the Fall," the concert's first half lagged as Costello unveiled one midtempo acoustic guitar number after another. The songs needed more varied accompaniment, either from a band or a more inventive guitar player to distinguish one from the next. | ||
But when Costello plugged in, setting up a gnarly electric-guitar loop for "Watching the Detectives," the concert got a much-needed shot of adrenaline that carried all the way through the end of the second encore. "I Want You" found Costello raging against a hail of distorted noise, and even the acoustic "A Slow Drag With Josephine" and "Jimmie Standing in the Rain" were pushed forward by some brisk plucking of strings. The embryonic version of "Radio Radio" he's revived for this tour (known as "Radio Soul" on the set list) was more of a curiosity than a revelation, but the vintage B-side "The Flirting Kind" — which, according to Costello's obsessive, detailed Wiki, he'd never performed on stage before — definitely earned its singular moment in the sun. | But when Costello plugged in, setting up a gnarly electric-guitar loop for "Watching the Detectives," the concert got a much-needed shot of adrenaline that carried all the way through the end of the second encore. "I Want You" found Costello raging against a hail of distorted noise, and even the acoustic "A Slow Drag With Josephine" and "Jimmie Standing in the Rain" were pushed forward by some brisk plucking of strings. The embryonic version of "Radio, Radio" he's revived for this tour (known as "Radio Soul" on the set list) was more of a curiosity than a revelation, but the vintage B-side "The Flirting Kind" — which, according to Costello's obsessive, detailed Wiki, he'd never performed on stage before — definitely earned its singular moment in the sun. | ||
Perhaps Costello didn't have company, but he's changed gears often enough in his career that it felt like there were many of him on stage, some more welcome than others. | Perhaps Costello didn't have company, but he's changed gears often enough in his career that it felt like there were many of him on stage, some more welcome than others. | ||
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'''Philadelphia Inquirer, November 13, 2013 | '''Philadelphia Inquirer, November 13, 2013 | ||
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[[Sam Adams]] reviews Elvis Costello, solo, Sunday, [[Concert 2013-11-10 Philadelphia|November 10, 2013]], Merriam Theater, Philadelphia, | [[Sam Adams]] reviews Elvis Costello, solo, Sunday, [[Concert 2013-11-10 Philadelphia|November 10, 2013]], Merriam Theater, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[ | *[https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/music/20131112_Elvis_Costello__both_stripped-down_and_plugged-in.html Inquirer.com] | ||
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philadelphia_Inquirer Wikipedia: The Philadelphia Inquirer] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philadelphia_Inquirer Wikipedia: The Philadelphia Inquirer] | ||
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