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IRVINE — Three cheers for Elvis Costello!
The diminutive English musician may never elicit even a fraction of the press coverage and mass hysteria accorded Michael Jackson or Bruce Springsteen, but his masterful performance at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater Saturday night indicated that both superstars could learn a thing or two from this enormously talented artist.
Indeed, Costello — who performed with remarkable passion and commitment for the entirety of his two-hour concert here — is one of the few pop stars not afraid to challenge his audience at almost every opportunity. Predictability is clearly not one of this man's foibles.
This was best illustrated at the show's conclusion, when Costello returned to the stage without his three-piece band, the Attractions, and — accompanying himself on guitar — sang three of his most poignant and evocative ballads, "Shipbuilding," "Peace In Our Time" and a new song, possibly titled "Nothing at the End of the Rainbow," which featured the haunting refrain: "There's nothing new at the end of the rainbow, there's nothing left to grow up for anymore."
Clearly, these delicate, yet heartfelt pleas for peace and compassion were not exactly what the crowd had in mind. To his credit, Costello persevered, ignoring the rudely shouted requests that he bring back his band and play such hard-rocking favorites as "Pump It Up," the encore which ultimately concluded the concert.
It was a risky, if ultimately impressive, display of Costello's dedication to his art. His refusal to pander to his listeners was typical of the uncompromising stance that he has maintained for most of his career.
One of the most consistently creative and intelligent performers in the arena of rock 'n' roll, Elvis Costello (ne'e Declan MacManus) has, since 1977, produced one of the most prolific and profound bodies of work in contemporary pop music.
Unfailingly intelligent and creative, Costello's highly idiosyncratic compositions are often simply too intense and demanding for those listeners who prefer their pop music to be simple and sugar-coated. Accordingly, he has yet to realize any substantial commercial success in this country, even though his last two albums, Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World, were clearly designed to attract a broader listenership.
In his Irvine showing, Costello essayed songs from every phase of his career, including such angry rockers as "Mystery Dance," "Lipstick Vogue" and the more recent "The Deportees Club." Also included were terse ballads like "Alison," a showstopping version of James Brown's "I Feel Good" and a handful of the wry, mocking songs with which Costello first established himself as rock's answer to Oscar Wilde.
Of these latter selections, "Shabby Doll," with its lurching rhythmic figures and incisive lyrics, was especially impressive. Here, and throughout the concert, Costello and the Attractions, played with the utmost of skill and empathy.
Drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Bruce Thomas were consistently inventive in their playing, simultaneously anchoring and propelling the music. Keyboardist Steve Nieve alternated between flamboyant, Gershwin-inspired piano flourishes, crystalline synthesizer lines and snappy, carnival organ-like embellishments that recalled the sound of the classic garage bands of the '60s. In many ways, Nieve was responsible for setting the mood of each piece, and he rose to the occasion with stunning results.
As for Costello, while he is not blessed with a particularly broad vocal range, he makes the most of what he has, and his control — whether singing a restrained ballad like "Peace In Our Time" or belting out a rock classic like "Baby It's You" — is simply remarkable.
Perhaps the greatest testament to Costello's interpretive abilities was "The Only Flame in Town," which was performed in two different versions, first as a melancholy ballad, then in the more snappy tempo featured on its recorded version. The lyrics of the song were unchanged, yet the difference in tone and mood between the two renditions was a radical one.
Still, for a man who has sung duets with both pop crooner Tony Bennett and country balladeer George Jones — as Costello has done — such versatility is not surprising.
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