Vancouver Sun, April 11, 2012: Difference between revisions

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{{tags}}[[Orpheum Theatre (Vancouver)|Orpheum Theatre]] {{-}} [[Vancouver]] {{-}} [[Spectacular Spinning Songbook]] {{-}} [[Tom Waits]] {{-}} [[Beverly Theatre]] {{-}} [[Concert 1986-10-04 Los Angeles|Los Angeles]] {{-}} [[:Category:Costello Sings Again Tour|Costello Sings Again Tour]] {{-}} [[The Imposters]] {{-}} [[Steve Nieve]] {{-}} [[Davey Faragher]] {{-}} [[Pete Thomas]] {{-}} [[I Hope You're Happy Now]] {{-}} [[Heart Of The City]] {{-}} [[Mystery Dance]] {{-}} [[Uncomplicated]] {{-}} [[Napoleon Dynamite]] {{-}} [[Blood & Chocolate]] {{-}} [[New Lace Sleeves]] {{-}} [[Johnny Cash]] {{-}} [[Cry, Cry, Cry]] {{-}} [[Hostage To Fortune Go-Go Cage]] {{-}} [[Radio, Radio]] {{-}} [[Time]] {{-}} [[Strict Time]] {{-}} [[Man Out Of Time]] {{-}} [[Out Of Time]] {{-}} [[The Rolling Stones]] {{-}} [[Clubland]] {{-}} [[Watching The Detectives]] {{-}} [[The Hammer Of Songs]] {{-}} [[Accidents Will Happen]] {{-}} [[Joker]] {{-}} [[I've Been Wrong Before]] {{-}} [[The Comedians]] {{-}} [[Watch Your Step]] {{-}} [[Happy (jackpot)]] {{-}} [[King Horse]] {{-}} [[Everyday I Write The Book]] {{-}} [[National Ransom]] {{-}} [[Alison]] {{-}} [[Chuck Berry]] {{-}} [[No Particular Place To Go]] {{-}} [[Pump It Up]] {{-}} [[Diana Krall]] {{-}} [[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?]]
{{tags}}[[Orpheum Theatre (Vancouver)|Orpheum Theatre]] {{-}} [[Vancouver]] {{-}} [[Spectacular Spinning Songbook]] {{-}} [[Tom Waits]] {{-}} [[Beverly Theatre]] {{-}} [[Concert 1986-10-04 Los Angeles|Los Angeles]] {{-}} [[:Category:Costello Sings Again Tour|Costello Sings Again Tour]] {{-}} [[The Imposters]] {{-}} [[Steve Nieve]] {{-}} [[Davey Faragher]] {{-}} [[Pete Thomas]] {{-}} [[I Hope You're Happy Now]] {{-}} [[Heart Of The City]] {{-}} [[Mystery Dance]] {{-}} [[Uncomplicated]] {{-}} [[Napoleon Dynamite]] {{-}} [[Blood & Chocolate]] {{-}} [[New Lace Sleeves]] {{-}} [[Johnny Cash]] {{-}} [[Cry, Cry, Cry]] {{-}} [[Hostage To Fortune Go-Go Cage]] {{-}} [[Radio, Radio]] {{-}} [[Time (jackpot)|Time]] {{-}} [[Strict Time]] {{-}} [[Man Out Of Time]] {{-}} [[Out Of Time]] {{-}} [[The Rolling Stones]] {{-}} [[Clubland]] {{-}} [[Watching The Detectives]] {{-}} [[The Hammer Of Songs]] {{-}} [[Accidents Will Happen]] {{-}} [[Joker]] {{-}} [[I've Been Wrong Before]] {{-}} [[The Comedians]] {{-}} [[Watch Your Step]] {{-}} [[Happy (jackpot)]] {{-}} [[King Horse]] {{-}} [[Everyday I Write The Book]] {{-}} [[National Ransom]] {{-}} [[Alison]] {{-}} [[Chuck Berry]] {{-}} [[No Particular Place To Go]] {{-}} [[Pump It Up]] {{-}} [[Diana Krall]] {{-}} [[(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?]]
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Elvis Costello spins a fine show

Francois Marchand

Rock icon's Canadian debut of Spinning Songbook a hit at Orpheum Theatre

VANCOUVER — It has taken over 25 years for Elvis Costello to bring his Spectacular Spinning Songbook show to Canada, but judging by the performance the bespectacled icon and his band delivered at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver Tuesday night, it was definitely worth the wait.

The conceptual concert — part cabaret gig, part game show — is built around a giant "wheel of fortune" that fans are invited to come spin on stage to determine the set list. The wheel features 40 favourite originals and covers, themes and keywords that Costello can use to pick random songs on the spot.

Instigated in 1986, the Spectacular Spinning Songbook was, as Costello put it in a recent interview with The Vancouver Sun, only "one frivolous night" out of a five-night run at Los Angeles' Beverly Theatre.

But 25 years later, Costello's collection of material having grown considerably, the Spectacular Spinning Songbook has become a fun way for the rock vet to change things up and keep things fresh every night while avoiding angering his fans with the song selection he and his Imposters — longtime collaborator and keyboardist Steve Nieve, bassist Davey Faragher and drummer Pete Thomas — come up with on tour.

Since the wheel dictates the fate of the band and what the audience will experience nightly, Costello can wash his hands clean of any responsibility if the setlist is strange or doesn't include certain specific songs.

Being the consummate entertainer he is, Costello can't lose in this format. And considering the sheer breadth of the two-hour-plus show and what the wheel contains, neither can the fans.

Costello and the Imposters first opened with a snappy pre-prepared set consisting of "I Hope You're Happy Now," "Heart of the City," "Mystery Dance," and "Uncomplicated," the crowd awaiting the first "contestant" to hop on stage and come spin the wheel at the behest of Costello, who stepped into the shoes of his Napoleon Dynamite character from Blood & Chocolate.

"It's good to be back, it's good to be home," Costello said, referring to his time spent in West Vancouver with his wife, jazz chanteuse Diana Krall, and their kids. "Step right up! Round and round it goes, where it stops nobody knows!"

(That phrase has been attributed to Tom Waits, who was part of the original Spectacular Spinning Songbook show 25 years ago.)

The first few spins yielded "New Lace Sleeves," a cover of Johnny Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry," allowing Costello/Dynamite to dust off his impeccable sense of storytelling and deadpan sense of humour (not to mention the audience member's dancing skills in the go-go cage) and a snappy "Clubland."

Nieve, Faragher and Thomas, whom Costello called "the best band in the world," switched things up on a dime and never missed a beat, answering the call when the reggae-fied "Watching the Detectives" was requested, a big "REQUEST" sign at the front of the stage lighting up to give it that extra game show feeling. Costello went into the audience with top hat and cane to pick contestants, singing the song's chorus into a megaphone.

To keep things flowing, double spins, jackpot titles — such as the keyword "Time," which yielded a medley including "Strict Time," a spot-on rendition of the Stones' "Out of Time," and "Man Out of Time" — as well as other devices designed to keep the audience wanting more were all on the menu.

The "Hammer of Songs" was a nice addition that allowed a fan (Abby?) to hit yet another "jackpot" and choose any song on the wheel. With much encouragement from the crowd, she chose "Accidents Will Happen."

For all the audience participation the Spectacular Spinning Songbook entailed, at times the concert felt a bit too static, the crowd remaining still and seated for most of the night.

Thankfully, Costello was smart enough to know when to take matters into his own hands and punch things up by kicking into an unrequited rendition of "Radio, Radio," which finally got some out of their seats, and spinning himself a "Joker" slot to do "I've Been Wrong" and "The Comedians," where Nieve shone on keys.

The sometimes odd pacing of the concert was obviously a byproduct of the unpredictable nature of the wheel, but Costello and friends took it in stride, Elvis chasing away blue slow burner "Watch Your Step" by giving himself another free spin, forcefully landing on theme category "Happy" and kicking things up again with more upbeat numbers "King Horse" and fan fave "Everyday I Write The Book."

Close to two hours into the show, Costello was revisiting material from his underrated album National Ransom, before handing out "Alison," Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go" and "Pump It Up."

Krall even made a quick appearance to spin the wheel as well in the end, tickling the keys on finale "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding."

Whether the wheel gave you all the songs you wanted to hear, only some, or — if you were really unlucky — none at all, you pretty much walked out of Costello's Vancouver gig a winner.


Tags: Orpheum Theatre  •  Vancouver  •  Spectacular Spinning Songbook  •  Tom Waits  •  Beverly Theatre  •  Los Angeles  •  Costello Sings Again Tour  •  The Imposters  •  Steve Nieve  •  Davey Faragher  •  Pete Thomas  •  I Hope You're Happy Now  •  Heart Of The City  •  Mystery Dance  •  Uncomplicated  •  Napoleon Dynamite  •  Blood & Chocolate  •  New Lace Sleeves  •  Johnny Cash  •  Cry, Cry, Cry  •  Hostage To Fortune Go-Go Cage  •  Radio, Radio  •  Time  •  Strict Time  •  Man Out Of Time  •  Out Of Time  •  The Rolling Stones  •  Clubland  •  Watching The Detectives  •  The Hammer Of Songs  •  Accidents Will Happen  •  Joker  •  I've Been Wrong Before  •  The Comedians  •  Watch Your Step  •  Happy (jackpot)  •  King Horse  •  Everyday I Write The Book  •  National Ransom  •  Alison  •  Chuck Berry  •  No Particular Place To Go  •  Pump It Up  •  Diana Krall  •  (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?

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The Vancouver Sun, April 11, 2012

Francois Marchand reviews Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Tuesday, April 10, 2012, Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver.

Images

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Photo by Ian Lindsay.
2012-04-11 Vancouver Sun photo 01 il.jpg


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2012-04-11 Vancouver Sun page F4.jpg

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