|
Elvis Costello, the one-time computer programmer (nee Declan MacManus) who has become a rock star, came back yet again to the Bay Area last night.
His concert filled Berkeley's Hearst Greek Theater to overflowing. But back around 1978 he was playing the Bay Area every few months and usually drawing only Costello cultists.
By now the cult has been overwhelmed by general rock-public approval; Costello has had his hot records (his current Punch The Clock LP, his ninth, will go gold), and he has lost some of the anger that his early lyrics and manner projected.
Last night's show ran nearly two hours (Costello was preceded by the Aztec Camera band, also British-based). It was usually a far cry from Costello's earlier local presentations. He wore his usual baggy business suit. Also as usual, his superb backup group, the Attractions, magnificently supported Costello's often awkward vocals.
But this year Elvis has shot the works — he has a couple of black women singing backup and the TKO Horns (tenor and alto sax, trumpet, trombone) wailing in the back row.
With all this swirling around him Costello, of course, has lost much of his former intimacy in performance and, his focus on lyrics. I missed both last night.
He fronted his supporting colleagues, with high standing Japanese-style flats (with translucent panels) enclosing the performing area. Changing patterns and colors illuminated the panels from the rear and multi-colored lights frequently outlined the proscenium framework — sometimes they glared out at the listening audience.
Although a most attractive setting, these devices also tended to detract from Costello's lyrics, music and personal impact — as did the size of the crowd and its distance, outdoors, from the performer.
The sound was the worst engineered and balanced that I've heard at a Bill Graham Presents show in years. It also undermined the overall effectiveness of the program.
Costello has never been much of a Mr. Personality — in some ways like the even more withdrawn Van Morrison (who, like Costello, is a marvelous lyricist). Elvis prefers to get on with his songs and be done with it. He'd like, I suspect, to be more involved in the flashier show-biz side of musical entertainment but he's too impatient to sing his songs, lots of them, at every performance.
Costello often has biting social commentary ("Watching the Detectives," "Shipbuilding," "Clowntime Is Over" etc.) and he loves the old rock 'n' roll — the O'Jays' "Back Stabbers," or the Originals' "The Bells." "Alison" is still a fine, soulful number and I liked "Watch Your Step," "Mystery Dance," "Man Out of Time," etc.
I think, too, that all of us last night at the Greek would have enjoyed Costello more had there been a curtailment of ticket sales. The place was oversold — hundreds found no seats and thus became a noisy, roaming, interfering crowd.
| 
