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If any top musician could break from his band and successfully pull off a solo tour, it would have to be Elvis Costello.
And that is exactly what he did in front of a near sell-out crowd of about 4,000 in University Hall Tuesday night.
Displaying his skills as singer, songwriter and musician, Costello captivated the audience with an emotionally-tinged collection of past favorites and new material.
Opening for Costello was another musician-turned-soloist, T Bone Burnett. Burnett performed a ten-song set that was well appreciated both by his fans and by those hearing him for the first time.
Burnett opened his show with a dramatic performance of a piece from Keith Jarrett's Koln Concert on a grand piano. It was not until he left the piano and the music continued, though, that the audience realized it was all a fake.
Burnett then picked up his acoustic guitar and commenced with a set of his new and old originals plus a number of old rock standards such as "Not Fade Away."
The set was marked by Burnett's sarcastic sense of humor (which included a few obligatory attacks on President Reagan) and the easy-going manner which he assumed on stage.
Combining this with his folksy guitar playing, Burnett provided a lively introduction to the evening.
Clad in his customary black suit, Costello took over for the rest of the night.
Alone on stage, Costello bared all his talents on the opening night of his sixth United States tour. He effectively bore out his varied musical skills and, surprisingly, a bit of his personality.
Costello moved around from acoustic to electric guitar throughout the concert.
In doing so, he covered a wide range of his own work and that of others. Costello classics such as "Accidents Will Happen" and "(Angels Wanna Wear) My Red "Shoes" were mixed in with Bob Dylan's "I Threw It All Away" and Terry Hall's (The Specials) "What I Like Most About You."
In a departure from his more recent tours, Costello added a bit of humor to Tuesday night's concert.
As he moved to the grand piano at the back of the stage, he commented, "I've got to do the impossible now. I'm going to play the piano."
He did play, and very well at that, turning out "Shot With His Own Gun" and the moving "Just a Memory."
At his fourth instrument, the electric piano, he performed "Motel Matches," which he introduced as a Billy Joel song (because of the line "An Innocent Man") to a momentarily stunned audience.
Costello's ever-witty lyrics also jabbed at cable television and its followers in "Worthless Thing," another new song:
I wish you could see
Quite how much you could mean to me
You worthless thing
Tuesday's show further proved Costello's magical ability to succeed at every new venture, (with the exception of country music, maybe.)
His voice was as strong and fresh as on any album, and Costello thankfully did not spare any of his classically mumbled lyrics.
His musicianship was nothing short of outstanding. In the solo setting, Costello was able to take full control of the music. He brilliantly manipulated the tempo of each song to his liking, producing an enjoyable effect that was noticeably different from the style found on his albums or on previous tours.
Additionally, the premier of five new songs, notably his closing tune "Peace in our Time" bodes well for another fine album from this musical legend.
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