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Elvis Costello solved the age-old problem of what to do when an artist has too many great songs for one show — he brought them all onstage with him.
Costello's "Spectacular Spinning Songbook" tour touched down at a crowded Crossroads on Thursday night. Behind the acclaimed songwriter's left shoulder loomed a huge multi-colored wheel adorned with three dozen of his favorite songs. One at a time, members of the audience were invited up to spin the wheel and pick the next number.
"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," usually an encore, came up early. So did "Earthbound," a song Costello wrote for singer Wendy James in the early '90s but never recorded himself. When the wheel landed on Bob Dylan's "This Wheel's On Fire," Costello let the crowd choose between that number and his own "Human Hands." The headliner won out.
First employed in the late '80s, the spinning songbook is a novel way for the performer to experience his work in a new context. On that level it was a success. The quartet was tight and energetic, clearly feeding of the energy of the fans dancing along to their selections onstage. But the wheel also killed momentum and started to feel kind of gimmicky after a while.
That said there was indisputably some great music in between spins. A spooky "I Want You" and an extended reading of "Watching the Detectives" that played up the song's dub roots were among the high points.
Many of the best moments came early. Costello and his Imposters took the stage in with many favorites in a potent 15-minute romp before introducing the wheel. The extended jam on "Uncomplicated" found Costello and bass player Davey Faragher trading lines from Jr. Walker's "Shotgun." The Motown connection returned during "Alison," when Costello incorporated several of the verses from Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears."
Keyboard wizard Steve Nieve was the driving force on many songs, adding calliope runs to "Radio, Radio," a Theremin solo on "Peace, Love and Understanding" and sneaking some Stevie Wonder clavinet on "Shabby Doll."
The night nearly ended with a brilliant three-song encore in which Costello and his band somehow took the jumpy "Pump It Up" straight into the reflective "Alison" before somehow ending up on a surprisingly strong version of Prince's "Purple Rain."
Costello had other plans, however, returning with two thirds of the Lovell Sisters to play some bluegrass.
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