Rolling Stone, December 4, 1986: Difference between revisions
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{{Rolling Stone | {{:Rolling Stone index}} | ||
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<center><h3> The many moods of Elvis Costello </h3></center> | <center><h3> The many moods of Elvis Costello </h3></center> | ||
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<center> Steve Pond </center> | <center> Steve Pond </center> | ||
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''' Costello Sings Again <br> | |||
Beverly Theater, Los Angeles | |||
{{Bibliography text}} | {{Bibliography text}} | ||
It was a gimmick, no doubt about it. To kick off his six-city U.S. tour, Elvis Costello played five Los Angeles shows that included a bit of everything: oldies with the Attractions, new songs with the Attractions, solo performances, country and rock oldies with a group of session pros called the Confederates, duets with everybody from Tom Waits to Tom Petty, request segments — and a huge spinning wheel emblazoned with thirty-eight different song titles. Five consecutive nights, five completely different shows (or, in some subsequent cities, three nights, three different shows). | |||
But the gimmick clearly had a liberating effect on Costello. In the past, his concerts were sometimes long, unwieldy affairs in which he tried to cover every aspect of a multifarious career; this tour freed him from the constraints of those all-encompassing shows and let him display one facet of himself each night. The only problem with the format was that it assumed that Costello's fans have unlimited pocketbooks: there was only one way to get the full picture, and that meant giving up five nights and $112.50. | But the gimmick clearly had a liberating effect on Costello. In the past, his concerts were sometimes long, unwieldy affairs in which he tried to cover every aspect of a multifarious career; this tour freed him from the constraints of those all-encompassing shows and let him display one facet of himself each night. The only problem with the format was that it assumed that Costello's fans have unlimited pocketbooks: there was only one way to get the full picture, and that meant giving up five nights and $112.50. | ||
Except for a few odd moments when he | Except for a few odd moments when he unleashed some old Elvis Costello bile and railed against the ''Los Angeles Times'' for its coverage of the shows, Costello gave performances that were relaxed and funny, studded with moving and often revelatory moments. Many of those moments were wholly unexpected: a delirious cover of "Twist and Shout," performed with T{{nb}}Bone Burnett and the Confederates; duets with John Doe ("Wild Thing"), the Bangles ("If She Knew What She Wants") and Tom Petty ("American Girl"); versions of Gerry and the Pacemakers' "Ferry 'Cross the Mersey," the Hollies' "King Midas in Reverse" and the Psychedelic Furs' "Pretty in Pink." | ||
Appearing at three of the five shows, the Attractions played with as much force as they've ever shown. They ripped through invigorated renditions of oldies like "Lip Service" and "Red Shoes" and gripping songs from the new ''Blood | Appearing at three of the five shows, the Attractions played with as much force as they've ever shown. They ripped through invigorated renditions of oldies like "Lip Service" and "Red Shoes" and gripping songs from the new ''Blood & Chocolate'' LP, such as the naked ballad "I Want You," which was a fearsome centerpiece for two shows. On the other hand, the Confederates, who played the other two nights, were delightfully loose. With Costello, Burnett and James Burton on guitar, Jerry Scheff on bass, Jim Keltner on drums and Mitchell Froom on keyboards, the band mixed a few oldies in with tunes from ''King of America'' (including an especially affecting "Sleep of the Just"). | ||
And then there was the Spectacular Spinning Songbook. Part rock show, part game show, part free-for-all, the show dominated by this fifteen-foot wheel was a completely bizarre, completely wonderful evening in which the crowd was as important a part as, say, the studio audience on ''Let's Make a Deal''. Contestants were pulled out of the audience by guest MCs John Doe and Tom Waits (who was born to be a barker), and after spinning the wheel, many of them got to spend time onstage — either in a go-go dancing cage or at a Naugahyde bar graciously equipped with a working television set and a big jar of Gatorade. | And then there was the Spectacular Spinning Songbook. Part rock show, part game show, part free-for-all, the show dominated by this fifteen-foot wheel was a completely bizarre, completely wonderful evening in which the crowd was as important a part as, say, the studio audience on ''Let's Make a Deal''. Contestants were pulled out of the audience by guest MCs John Doe and Tom Waits (who was born to be a barker), and after spinning the wheel, many of them got to spend time onstage — either in a go-go dancing cage or at a Naugahyde bar graciously equipped with a working television set and a big jar of Gatorade. | ||
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{{Bibliography notes}} | {{Bibliography notes}} | ||
{{Bibliography next | |||
|prev = Rolling Stone, November 6, 1986 | |||
|next = Rolling Stone, December 18, 1986 | |||
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'''Rolling Stone, December 4, 1986 | '''Rolling Stone, December 4, 1986 | ||
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Steve Pond on the opening nights of | [[Steve Pond]] reports on the opening nights of [[:Category:Costello Sings Again Tour|Costello Sings Again]], October [[Concert 1986-10-01 Los Angeles|1st,]] [[Concert 1986-10-02 Los Angeles|2nd,]] [[Concert 1986-10-03 Los Angeles|3rd,]] [[Concert 1986-10-04 Los Angeles|4th,]] and [[Concert 1986-10-05 Los Angeles|5th]], 1986, Beverly Theatre, Los Angeles. | ||
{{Bibliography images}} | {{Bibliography images}} | ||
[[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone | [[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone page 20.jpg|380px]] | ||
[[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone | <br><small>Page scan.</small> | ||
<small>Photos by [[Chris Cuffaro]].</small><br> | |||
[[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone photo 01 cc.jpg|380px]] | |||
[[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone photo 02 cc.jpg|380px]] | |||
[[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone photo | [[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone photo 03 cc.jpg|380px]] | ||
<br><small>Photos by [[Chris Cuffaro]].</small> | |||
[[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone | <small>Cover.</small><br> | ||
[[image:1986-12-04 Rolling Stone cover.jpg|x120px]] | |||
{{Bibliography notes footer}} | {{Bibliography notes footer}} | ||
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*[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/r/rolling_stone_aust.870101a.html elviscostello.info] | *[http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/r/rolling_stone_aust.870101a.html elviscostello.info] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolling Stone 1986-12-04}} | |||
[[Category:Bibliography | [[Category:Bibliography]] | ||
[[Category:Bibliography 1986]] | |||
[[Category:Rolling Stone| Rolling Stone 1986-12-04]] | [[Category:Rolling Stone| Rolling Stone 1986-12-04]] | ||
[[Category:Magazine articles | [[Category:Magazine articles]] | ||
[[Category:1986 concert reviews|Rolling Stone 1986-12-04]] | [[Category:1986 concert reviews]] | ||
[[Category:Costello Sings Again Tour|~Rolling Stone 1986-12-04]] | |||
Latest revision as of 16:10, 6 December 2021
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