Philadelphia Inquirer, October 31, 1986: Difference between revisions
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"I want to give you an example of uncomplicated behavior," Elvis Costello said earlier this week, on the second night of his three-night stand at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby. With that, he bent over his electric guitar and slashed his fingers across the strings a few times, raising an awful racket. | "I want to give you an example of uncomplicated behavior," Elvis Costello said earlier this week, on the second night of his three-night stand at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby. With that, he bent over his electric guitar and slashed his fingers across the strings a few times, raising an awful racket. | ||
The audience cheered and laughed, in on the joke: Costello was preparing to play a song called "Uncomplicated." But as we all knew, an even richer joke was the unstated one: Elvis Costello never does anything uncomplicated. | The audience cheered and laughed, in on the joke: Costello was preparing to play a song called "Uncomplicated." But as we all knew, an even richer joke was the unstated one: Elvis Costello never does ''anything'' uncomplicated. | ||
Everything, from the way he organizes a concert tour to the knotty, profuse lyrics he stuffs into his songs, is rife with complication — it's what makes this British songwriter and singer one of the most interesting and challenging performers in rock. | Everything, from the way he organizes a concert tour to the knotty, profuse lyrics he stuffs into his songs, is rife with complication — it's what makes this British songwriter and singer one of the most interesting and challenging performers in rock. | ||
A full decade into his recording career and appearing in America for the first time in two years, he had dubbed this | A full decade into his recording career and appearing in America for the first time in two years, he had dubbed this [[:Category:Costello Sings Again Tour|tour]] "Costello Sings Again." Performing in only six cities, he made Philadelphia his final stop. He stayed three days and, as he did everywhere, gave a completely different performance each night: | ||
On [[Concert 1986-10-27 Upper Darby|Monday]], Costello spent half the show singing solo with an acoustic guitar, the other half performing with a band that included guitarist James Burton, who once upon a time held the same position with the Other Elvis. | On [[Concert 1986-10-27 Upper Darby|Monday]], Costello spent half the show singing solo with an acoustic guitar, the other half performing with a band that included guitarist James Burton, who once upon a time held the same position with the Other Elvis. | ||
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"You decide what we shall play," yelled Costello, who introduced himself as "your host, Napoleon Dynamite," a genial-verging-on-unctuous new persona. | "You decide what we shall play," yelled Costello, who introduced himself as "your host, Napoleon Dynamite," a genial-verging-on-unctuous new persona. | ||
There was also a '60s relic: a go-go dancer's cage, into which the volunteers — variously chagrined, elated or nonplussed — were ushered for the duration of the song. On a nearby table, a portable television was tuned to the ABC network's prime-time lineup; this is the only concert I've ever attended where the star admonished the audience to "stop watching Moonlighting and pay attention to the music." | There was also a '60s relic: a go-go dancer's cage, into which the volunteers — variously chagrined, elated or nonplussed — were ushered for the duration of the song. On a nearby table, a portable television was tuned to the ABC network's prime-time lineup; this is the only concert I've ever attended where the star admonished the audience to "stop watching ''Moonlighting'' and pay attention to the music." | ||
On [[Concert 1986-10-29 Upper Darby|Wednesday]], the gimmicks were gone: Costello and the Attractions roared through a long set of songs that surveyed his career, with special emphasis on his new album, ''Blood | On [[Concert 1986-10-29 Upper Darby|Wednesday]], the gimmicks were gone: Costello and the Attractions roared through a long set of songs that surveyed his career, with special emphasis on his new album, ''Blood & Chocolate'' (Columbia), Costello's finest — his best- written, most emotional — record since ''Get Happy!!'' (1980). In the liner notes, the authorship of all ''Blood & Chocolate'' songs is ascribed to Napoleon Dynamite. See what I mean about complicated? | ||
Across town, Bob Seger was at the Spectrum riffling through the Raymond Chandler songbook, making hard-boiled romanticism sound rosy to the masses. At the Tower, Costello was busy making the same quality truly intimidating. | Across town, Bob Seger was at the Spectrum riffling through the Raymond Chandler songbook, making hard-boiled romanticism sound rosy to the masses. At the Tower, Costello was busy making the same quality truly intimidating. | ||
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Alternately hostile, confiding, sarcastic, resentful and avuncular, Costello keeps his fans on their toes and tries their patience. Certainly many people who attended Costello's Tower Theater shows this week will remember the days in the late '70s when it was not uncommon for Costello to tell the audience to shut up, or for him to stomp off the stage after a half-hour, steaming over some slight that no one could fathom. | Alternately hostile, confiding, sarcastic, resentful and avuncular, Costello keeps his fans on their toes and tries their patience. Certainly many people who attended Costello's Tower Theater shows this week will remember the days in the late '70s when it was not uncommon for Costello to tell the audience to shut up, or for him to stomp off the stage after a half-hour, steaming over some slight that no one could fathom. | ||
During recent interviews, Costello has ascribed some of this behavior to the impetuosity of youth. After all he was only 21, poor — and furious about it — when he first came to prominence. That was source of his initial appeal. In the late '70s, Costello hated the big business that rock music had become as much as many of us did. He was, more than anything else, a fan, or rather an idealized one, capable of stating his case with far more skill and precision than most fans can muster. | During recent interviews, Costello has ascribed some of this behavior to the impetuosity of youth. After all he was only 21, poor — and furious about it — when he first came to prominence. That was source of his initial appeal. In the late '70s, Costello hated the big business that rock music had become as much as many of us did. He was, more than anything else, a ''fan'', or rather an idealized one, capable of stating his case with far more skill and precision than most fans can muster. | ||
That's the big difference between Costello then and now: After years of resisting it, he has finally accepted the fact that he is more of a professional entertainer than a fan — he's crossed the line. And while he's still fond of indulging his fannishness (this is an obvious reason for the Spectacular Spinning Songbook — a way to make renewed contact with his followers, to feel their enthusiasm onstage with him), his professionalism has freed him to create his most ambitious work. | That's the big difference between Costello then and now: After years of resisting it, he has finally accepted the fact that he is more of a professional entertainer than a fan — he's crossed the line. And while he's still fond of indulging his fannishness (this is an obvious reason for the Spectacular Spinning Songbook — a way to make renewed contact with his followers, to feel their enthusiasm onstage with him), his professionalism has freed him to create his most ambitious work. | ||
Costello's closing-night show with the Attractions offered exciting versions of longtime crowd-pleasers like " | Costello's closing-night show with the Attractions offered exciting versions of longtime crowd-pleasers like "Accidents Will Happen" and "Green Shirt." He folded a verse of the old Drifters hit "On Broadway" into his own "Clubland" so that we could hear where his song came from. | ||
The heart of this performance, however, was the riveting versions of ''Blood | The heart of this performance, however, was the riveting versions of ''Blood & Chocolate'' songs like "Blue Chair," "Battered Old Bird" and the extraordinary "I Want You," in which Costello recasts the Beatles' serene "I Want You" as a wracked sob over love betrayed. | ||
(''Blood | (''Blood & Chocolate'' is, in fact, shot through with Beatles references — it can be heard, in particular, as Costello's homage to John Lennon, right down to the "I Am the Walrus"-like bridge in "Crimes of Paris.") | ||
Costello also sang a couple of new, unrecorded songs — as if his songbook weren't already massive enough, with 12 albums released in the last 10 years. Costello provides the rock | Costello also sang a couple of new, unrecorded songs — as if his songbook weren't already massive enough, with 12 albums released in the last 10 years. Costello provides the rock 'n' roll example of A. J. Liebling's famous newspaperman's boast, "I'm faster than anyone better and better than anyone faster." One of these songs, whose title I heard as "Jack of All Parades," has a love-at-first-sight plot that might be telling the story of his courtship of Cait O'Riordan, a member of the Irish band the Pogues and also Costello's new second wife. | ||
It was O'Riordan, in fact, who helped to provide the high point of "Costello Sings Again." After three nights of rough rock, earnest crooning and loony joking, the greatest moment was also the quietest. | It was O'Riordan, in fact, who helped to provide the high point of "Costello Sings Again." After three nights of rough rock, earnest crooning and loony joking, the greatest moment was also the quietest. | ||
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Wotta man. | Wotta man. | ||
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{{tags}}[[Concert 1986-10-27 Upper Darby|Tower Theater]] {{-}} [[Upper Darby]] {{-}} [[PA|Pennsylvania]] {{-}} [[The Attractions]] {{-}} [[Uncomplicated]] {{-}} [[:Category:Costello Sings Again Tour|Costello Sings Again Tour]] {{-}} [[James Burton]] {{-}} [[Elvis Presley]] {{-}} [[Spectacular Spinning Songbook]] {{-}} [[Napoleon Dynamite]] {{-}} [[Hostage To Fortune Go-Go Cage]] {{-}} [[Blood & Chocolate]] {{-}} [[Columbia Records]] {{-}} [[Get Happy!!]] {{-}} [[Napoleon Dynamite]] {{-}} [[Bob Dylan]] {{-}} [[The Attractions]] {{-}} [[Accidents Will Happen]] {{-}} [[Green Shirt]] {{-}} [[On Broadway]] {{-}} [[Clubland]] {{-}} [[Blue Chair]] {{-}} [[Battered Old Bird]] {{-}} [[I Want You]] {{-}} [[The Beatles]] {{-}} [[John Lennon]] {{-}} [[Jack Of All Parades]] {{-}} [[Cait O'Riordan]] {{-}} [[Crimes Of Paris]] | |||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = Philadelphia Inquirer, October 28, 1986 | |||
|next = Philadelphia Inquirer, December 28, 1986 | |||
}} | |||
'''Philadelphia Inquirer, October 31, 1986 | '''Philadelphia Inquirer, October 31, 1986 | ||
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[[Ken Tucker]] reports on | [[Ken Tucker]] profiles Elvis Costello and reports on his three-night Tower Theater stand, [[Concert 1986-10-27 Upper Darby|October 27]], [[Concert 1986-10-28 Upper Darby|28]] and [[Concert 1986-10-29 Upper Darby|29, 1986]], Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. | ||
{{Ken Tucker-1986-Philadelphia Inquirer}} | |||
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{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*[http://articles.philly.com/1986-10-31/news/26061774_1_elvis-costello-blood-and-chocolate-longtime-backup-band Philly.com] | *[https://www.inquirer.com/ Inquirer.com] | ||
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philadelphia_Inquirer Wikipedia: The Philadelphia Inquirer] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Philadelphia_Inquirer Wikipedia: The Philadelphia Inquirer] | ||
Latest revision as of 13:40, 12 February 2022
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