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| <small>Photos: [[Alex Vanhee]]</small> | | <small>Photos: [[Alex Vanhee]]</small> |
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| <center><h3>Elvis Costello at the Royal Circus: Climbing to a climax </h3></center>
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| <center>'''He celebrated his sixtieth birthday last summer, but Elvis Costello has far no signs of wear. On the contrary, the British singer-songwriter keeps a staggering productivity after, and if there -as now- just to promote new album, he just goes for fun on tour. Yet this concert in the Royal Circus was for another reason special. After passages with [[The Attractions]], [[The Imposters]] and [[The Sugarcanes]] he was again solo on stage. Or almost.'''</center>
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| Few musicians in their long career practiced such a wide range of styles and Elvis Costello. Punk, rock, jazz, classical, blues, country, folk ... All he has on his curriculum, and often did that gorgeous albums.
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| The list of artists with whom he shared the studio over the years reads like a pop encyclopaedia. Costello recorded with [[Chet Baker]], wrote songs with [[Paul McCartney]], joined forces with the legendary [[Burt Bacharach]] and shared the piano with New Orleans veteran [[Allen Toussaint]]. Last year surprised The Beloved Entertainer - one of his many pseudonyms - fans and critics alike by going into business with American hip-hop band [[The Roots]], and that collaboration was a success.
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| '''Pinch poetry''' <br>
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| I had planned to spend only songs about love tonight. Only, the first songs were immediately about betrayal, infidelity and deception. Like the vast majority of my work.<br>
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| '''Elvis Costello at the Royal Circus'''
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| But who the bespectacled singer-songwriter already longer following know one thing: Costello is at his best when he is acting on his own, or just is accompanied by pianist [[Steve Nieve]]. The show in Brussels as a solo concert was announced, and as for the first half of the set showed that not lied.
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| But for the encores - also adding in total to more than an hour - Nieve was indeed the party. The best of both worlds, so. Because for those who had no ticket: Baroque, adventurous playing style of the pianist really added something to the songs. Power. Melancholy. A pinch of poetry, even.
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| '''About love''' <br>
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| With more than thirty-two studio albums available to choose from Costello has enough material to every night a totally different set of puzzle together, but it would at once say that you could not enumerate at least twice as many classics even after a concert of more than thirty songs you wanted to hear sometimes bring him in pure form.
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| Especially in the first part of the set that objection sometimes prevailed, because frankly: the occurrence initially came only with difficulty. Certainly Costello proved himself a gifted showman, and as a performer you did him nothing more to learn. With a string of little obvious compositions, he however did not make it easy for himself (and the audience) . "[[Either Side Of The Same Town]]," "[[Poison Moon]]," "[[I Hope You're Happy Now]]," ... of course they were not bad songs, and they were glowing sung in the bargain. Yet it felt a bit like he played for his own program. "I had planned to perform tonight just songs about love," he said in between. "Only, the first songs were immediately about betrayal, infidelity and deception Like the vast majority of my work.."
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| '''True connoisseurs public''' <br>
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| Costello proved himself a gifted showman, and as a performer you'd give him nothing to learn
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| With the sparkling '[[Veronica]]' - a pure pop song actually - the atmosphere was just ripped, but generally speaking you could still say that the set was composed primarily for connoisseurs loyal audience. Nice, but without that "je ne sais quoi 'of his very best work.
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| With a compelling '[[Good Year For The Roses]]', the jazzy "[[Walkin' My Baby Back Home|Walking My Baby Back Home]]" and [[Charles Aznavour]] borrowed '[[She]]' only attacked him in the final phase of the set which recognition applause turn. '[[Watching The Detectives]]' was embellished with some rowdy guitars and '[[Alison]]' sounded - sung without amplification - just as fresh as when it was first released in '77. Wonderful moment. And a turning point in the set.
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| '''Apotheosis''' <br>
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| With Nieve there - someone with whom he worked for thirty-seven years - the performance in the second half was lifted one level higher. Firstly, because classics are now popping up with more regularity, but also - perhaps more importantly - because Nieve had often drastically devised other piano arrangements. '[[Accidents Will Happen]]' got a contemporary classic touch to it, and "[[(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea]]" kicked in that minimalist Philip Glass packaging one of the highlights of the entire evening.
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| More cold rings during the wistfulness of modeled '[[Almost Blue]]', where Costello just took the piano while Nieve ventured on a beautiful melodica solo '[[Shipbuilding]]' - another world song - got the audience on the edge of the chair, and with one final encore - the blood-curdling '[[I Want You]]'- reached the set apotheosis which could only follow silence.
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| All was also still just drowned out by a standing ovation. After a career of almost forty years Costello remains a master of his craft, and he still does not. Warns the risks It testified that he dare not bring only hits, from understanding to it afterwards to throw one of innovation to even approach this time and time again from a different angle. A lot of classics against it Wonder what his next step.
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| {{Bibliography notes footer}} | | {{Bibliography notes footer}} |