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Costello, that is.
I traveled to Sioux Falls, S.D., April 15 to see the hall-of-fame rocker at a small, cozy school-turned theater.
Resplendent in dark suit, pink tie, white cowboy hat and silver boots, Costello was everything I imagined.
It had been a hope of mine to see him in concert for quite some time, and with a sister-in-law living in Sioux Falls, we were able to turn it into a family trip. While I saw the King, they shopped.
Almost as entertaining was the group of people in attendance.
I like watching crowds when I go to events. Not just because of what they might do, but who is in the crowd.
I have to remind myself that I am considered older — at least by others — so when I was looking around at the crowd that was gathering before the show, I noticed there were a lot of "older" people settling in.
Then after realizing most of them were probably around my age, and that Costello has been recording for more than 25 years, I started to focus on how many younger people I was seeing.
I was happy to see people younger than myself because it means more people are discovering Costello's music. It's worth appreciating.
Recently earning the status of immortal by Rolling Stone magazine, Costello began as an angry young man, but has grown into a respected artist of all types of music.
He has recorded with Burt Bacharach, the Brodsky Quartet and last year released two CDs — one rock and one with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Costello stayed away from quartet and orchestra music, but mixed country with rock. Which was a good decision, especially with this crowd.
Elvis picked up on the crowd's interest immediately, playing many tunes from his earliest recording.
This part excited the crowd, which, much to my dismay, much have stopped listening to Costello in the early '90s.
When Elvis broke into many of the newest songs, the crowd response was less enthusiastic. That left out a whole lot of good songs from the middle of his career.
Maybe the crowd should have been quizzed before being allowed in.
They also should have gone to the bathroom before they came and not been allowed to drink anything once they got there. You would have thought the drinks were free, I had so many people walking in front of me.
It was a different atmosphere than most people think when they hear concerts. In a small venue, the chairs are comfortable, and no one is passed over head through the crowd.
While we stood at certain points to show our appreciation, most of the nearly 2½ hours were spent seated. I prefer sitting. It assures me I can see, but when the crowd rose, I followed suit. After all, I was in the presence of royalty.
Next month, my children and I will be in a completely different atmosphere when we see Green Day. There will be plenty of standing and body surfing and probably an array of body piercings and art.
Until then, I can bask in the memory of seeing Costello. I am still in awe long after Elvis left the building.
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