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As Elvis Costello and his keyboardist of over 20 years, Steve Nieve, walked onto the darkened stage of Boston's venerable Orpheum Theatre last Thursday night to thunderous applause, it was clear that he would be preaching to the converted. Continuing the Northeast leg of the "Lonely World Tour" that included his surprising appearance at the ill-fated Woodstock 99, Costello strapped on his electric guitar and played a brand new, yet-to-be-recorded song: the terse and dramatic "Alibi Factory." Throughout the number, the stage lights remained off, with the singer a barely discernible shadow until the last lines, when the spotlight slowly intensified on his face.
How many recording artists would have the courage to open a show with a song that no one has heard, presented in the dark? Costello has matured into a performer who takes risks, who confounds and surprises, and can cover more musical territory than any singer in memory. On this night, he pushed his ever improving voice to its limits, growling and crooning his way through 33 songs, much to the delight of the packed house.
Costello has become a great collaborator, having written or performed with the likes of Paul McCartney, George Jones, Tony Bennett, The Brodsky Quartet, John Hiatt, Burt Bacharach, and Aimee Mann. Perhaps his most important collaborator, however, is Nieve, whose performance this night was at times subtle and supportive, and at other turns dynamic and over-the-top, especially during his solo for "Talking in the Dark." For the most part the interplay between Costello and Nieve was exquisite.
Highlights abounded: Electronics versions of "Clubland" and "Green Shirt," the almost operatic "What's Her Name Today," the sensual "Indoor Fireworks," and the jazz-inflected "Almost Blue." The setlist covered a generous portion of early Costello, with healthy doses of Get Happy, Imperial Bedroom and his debut My Aim Is True. Conspicuous in their absence were songs from most of Costello's albums from the '90s (nothing from Brutal Youth and only one from All This Useless Beauty). The audience did not seem to mind as it brought the duo back for four long encores (15 songs!).
The show closed with Costello again walking the tightrope by singing the somewhat obscure "Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4" without amplification. The stunned crowd stood silently as Costello projected his voice to the very reaches of the theatre. Some artists need a safety net. Not Costello. Not this night.
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