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OK, DJ Dave really outdid himself this time.
In recent weeks, he’s been playing Elvis Costello‘s “Pump It Up” following the occasional Canucks goal. It was, interestingly enough, a dream of Province Sports columnist Ed Willes that Dave would do so.
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But no one really expected Costello to show up at a Canucks game … and actually sing “Pump It Up” while at Rogers Arena. But that’s what the man his friends call “E.C.” did on Saturday night, immediately following the anthems and before the drop of the puck. Fronting the Canucks’ “house band,” the well-known Vancouver band The Odds, Costello sang about a minute of his song. The 56-year-old Costello, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame eight years ago and in more recent years has spent part of his time living in West Vancouver, then took his seats with his wife, Nanaimo-raised jazz superstar Diana Krall, in the lower bowl. Not in a suite. Nope. The lower bowl. (Which makes him even cooler, though it seems impossible he can get even cooler.)
Waving … kissing Diana … socializing with one of the Green Men … great shots from Getty Images’ Jeff Vinnick. And, quite possibly, too much for our man Ed Willes.
Willes, whose Twitter account features, as an avatar, Costello’s image from the cover of the album This Year’s Model, isn’t the only one whose life has been affected by Costello.
In the summer of 1984, I went to camp in Alberta as a counsellor. The music of choice that summer at Camp BB? Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ Punch the Clock, an album that was never truly appreciated by critics but was more than worthy for a bunch of high-schoolers. “Everyday I Write the Book” was the big song, of course. But the second side of the tape was as worn as the first, thanks to the sensational trifecta of “Charm School,” “The Invisible Man” and “Mouth Almighty.”
Three years later, I caught an Elvis Costello show at the old hockey rink at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Costello spent at least part of the night in top hat and tails, playing the role of circus ringmaster. He had a big wheel on the stage, which he spun, and invited others to spin. All around the wheel: names of his many great songs. Where the wheel stopped, the band played the song. And in the 24 years since, Costello’s influence on me hasn’t faded.
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The great song “Veronica.” A wonderful video to boot.
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Costello, with Bono and the Edge, singing U2’s “Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” in the show Spectacle. Bono’s not at his best here; Costello is.
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The original “Pump It Up” video.
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Costello, Krall and some guy named Willie Nelson singing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” Phenomenal.
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Costello has bounded across genres effortlessly. This cover of the legendary George Jones’ “Good Year For the Roses” is a great example. Note the creepy backup singer twins!
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Finally, the song that first introduced me to Elvis Costello: “Everyday I Write the Book.” I was 14 when it came out. This version came from the show Solid Gold.
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