Elvis Costello Played United Palace Theater - Pictures, Review, Video, Setlist

On Saturday we stopped in at a packed United Palace Theater to catch a sold out show from Elvis Costello and the Imposters.  A continuation of the Revolver Tour (which we had seen at the same venue back in May April 2010), we had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the show.  Nonetheless, with a boatload of covers, a longer set, and a totally different setlist, there were still some surprises in store.

The evening's massive 30+ song setlist traversed Costello's career, but held a strong focus on his early and middle career, effectively something of a "classics" set.   However, those classics were not necessarily "hits" per se.  Many of the tracks delivered were non-singles, and the number of covers (7 at our count) further diversified the set.

In addition to an extremely solid night of music, the set was also characterized by Costello's decision to bring back the "Spinning Setlist".  Not only did this further increase the setlist diversity, but it also meant there were audience members on stage at (almost) all times.  This even included actress Mary Louise Parker, who spinned the wheel before "Monkey To Man", and then danced in the go-go booth for the remained of the song.

The highlight of the evening came when Costello invited the crowd to leave the venues seating chary behind and rush the stage.  Only at that point did it truly come together and feel like a rock show.  Surrounded by an adoring fanbase, the band delivered the last 30 minutes of the show in true style, with Costello prowling the perimeter of the stage, and delivering a "quiet" set with Steve Nieve before delving into the band's full encore, which seemed close to endless.  At the end of the night, we were damned tired, so it's hard to imagine how Costello was feeling.  Suffice it to say: the Imposters are on point to deliver a killer show, and they're doing it on a nightly basis.

Elvis Costello Setlist 10-1-2011
--
Alison -> Tracks Of My Tears
Lipstick Vogue
Watching The Detectives
The Judgement
Everyday I Write The Book
Cry Cry Cry (Johnny Cash Cover)
I Still Miss Someone (Willie Nelson Cover)
Stella Hurt
Monkey To Man
His Lady's Friend (Cover?, unknown)
Waiting For The End Of The World -> I Can Only Give You Everything
Little Fool
Town Cryer
New Lace Sleeves
Clowntime Is Over
Strict Time
Man Out Of Time
Out Of Time (Rolling Stones Cover)
I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea
Pump It Up
Heart Of The City (Nick Lowe Cover)
Radio, Radio
The Angels Want To Wear My Red Shoes
Purple Rain (Prince Cover)
Rain (Beatles Cover)
--
In The Mood Again
I Still Have That Other Girl
Suit Of Lights
Stations Of The Cross
--
Watch Your Step
Secondary Modern
National Ranson
What's So Funny (About Peace, Love, and Understanding)
Wheels (Gram Parsons Cover)

Elvis Costello Back On Tour With The Imposters, Return Of The "Spectacular Spinning Songbook"

While we're willing to indulge Elvis Costello in just about any live context, we have to say this is good news: Costello has announced that he'll be hitting the road in May with his band The Impostors, and a return to his rock and roll roots. Given that he's been touring with a bluegrass entourage for the last year or two, this is certainly a welcome return to form. Moreover, Costello will be redeploying the "Spectacular Spinning Songbook", not seen on stage (although more recently co-opted by Yo La Tengo) in 25 years!

The tour is partially on sale already, with more tickets going on sale next week. It covers both coasts, including two nights in both SF (on sale 2/13) and NYC, and a middle-of-the-country stop in Chicago. We're not gonna tell you how to spend your money, but this isn't a half bad activity for your springtime - take our word for it.

Elvis Costello and The Impostors Spring 2011 Dates
5/7 - RENO, NV GRAND SIERRA THEATRE (on sale 02/12)
5/8 - OAKLAND, CA THE FOX (on sale 02/13)
5/9 - OAKLAND, CA THE FOX (on sale 02/13)
5/11 - LOS ANGELES, CA THE WILTERN (on sale 02/11)
5/15 - CHICAGO, IL CHICAGO THEATRE (on sale 02/05)
5/18 - MONTCLAIR, NJ WELLMONT THEATRE (on sale 02/11)
5/19 - UPPER DARBY, PA TOWER THEATRE (on sale 02/12)
5/20 - BOSTON, MA WANG THEATRE (on sale 02/11)
5/22 - NEW YORK, NY BEACON THEATRE (on sale TBA)
5/23 - NEW YORK, NY BEACON THEATRE (on sale TBA)

mp3: Elvis Costello and The Impostors - Flutter And Wow

Elvis Costello - National Ransom

Last year's Secret, Profane & Sugarcane saw Elvis Costello and T Bone Burnett return to their country roots, but in our estimation, they went a little too far. The record lacked EC's customary bite, and came across more like a bluegrass experiment than as a record that could stand on it's own two feet. Nonetheless, Costello took it on tour and won us over. His live band was top notch, and as always his performance was impecable. It seems that the time on the road did him some good, because last month (yes, it slipped under or radar...d'oh!) Costello released something of a "sequel", National Ransom, and it's damn good.

When we originally posted about Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, we had hoped that it might revisit Costello's King Of America days. Unfortunately, it skirted rock and roll almost entirely, and ended up almost out of our taste range. On National Ransom, Costello has taken more of the approach of King Of America, and combined his rock and roll compatriots with his new country friends. The result is an album that has more depth than either of his previous two releases. The diversified instrumentation allows for increasingly complex songwriting, and the band ebbs and flows in a way that makes the record feel like a well assembled stage show.

And in fact, that's exactly what this is: it's the manifestation of the awesome road show that Costello took on tour last year, combined with the awesomeness of the Imposters. And the whole thing's on record. We almost missed this one, and we wanted to make sure you didn't too. Pick up National Ransom, we promise it's worth your while.

mp3: Elvis Costello - The Spell That You Cast

Happy Boxing Day From Elvis Costello

Sure, we're not in England, and sure, the video's more than twenty five years old, but none of that makes this 1983 video of Elvis Costello performing his song "TKO (Boxing Day)" any less awesome. In short, vintage Elvis is about as good as it gets! So have a gander, check out the vid, and Happy Boxing Day to all!

Elvis Costello And Brian Eno - "My Dark Life"

One of the most unexpected collaborations of the 1990's was likewise hidden away in the most unexpected of places: "My Dark Life", a singular collaboration between Elvis Costello and Brian Eno, was featured on a record called Songs In The Key Of X - a soundtrack to the X-Files TV show. It's a shame that the track is in such a tucked away spot, because it's easily one of Costello's strongest tunes from the last decade.

Given that Eno and Costello have both worked in just about every genre, it may seem presumptuous to call their collaboration unexpected. Still, there's something about the two that seems disparate. Costello is a blood sweat and tears songwriter, who more often than not can bang a song out on the guitar as easily as he can record it in a studio. By contrast, Eno is something of a studio rat, seldom performing live and often working in production and "treatment" roles. However, regardless of their reputations, there's no question that by working together, the pair managed to get the best of both their talents.

"My Dark Life" is driven by what one might consider "typical" Eno treatments: there are small droning beats, lilting atmospheric synths, and a general feeling of unease. However, Costello jumps on board almost immediately, and his reverb laden guitar immediately takes the tune out of Eno's usual territory. As the song progresses, Costello crafts a bullet proof melody over a chord progression that gets more and more uniques with each minute. An exceedingly minor verse juxtaposed with a unquestionably major chorus creates a general feeling of imbalance that Costello navigates artfully well with his vocals.

With all of these facets, the track manages to occupy a unique space of being accessible, yet experimental and complex at the same time. The fact that it is the only collaboration between the two is a real shame: had their union yielded an entire record, we can only guess that it might have yielded a completely different leg of songwriting for the duo. Instead both have returned closer to their roots: Costello to garagey, cagey songwriting, and Eno to collaborating with long time friends like U2 and David Byrne.

Still, there are hints that Costello knows the song was a bit of a special moment for him: He's included it in his live sets, in particular his shows with Steve Nieve. Even in that stripped down environment, the song is an eerie and lovely piece of melancholy melody. Though it's been more than ten years, it's enough to keep us hoping that perhaps there might be a chance that this fantastic tune won't have to spend its days alone.

mp3: Brian Eno & Elvis Costello - My Dark Life
mp3: Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve - My Dark Life (Live At The Fillmore)

Elvis Costello Is At Amoeba Next Monday

While we have yet to really warm to his new record, there's no denying that Elvis Costello delivers a killer live performance under any circumstances. In fact, we think his live performance on Letterman a few weeks back (mp3 below), really destroyed the album version.  As such, we were psyched to hear that the man himself will be making a free appearance at Amoeba Records next Monday, June 22nd.

Having seen EC live and solo quite a few times, we can assure you this show is not to be missed. Not only that, but it's free. Can you seriously argue? According to Amoeba's website, Costello goes on at noon, so take your lunch break early. See you there!

mp3: Elvis Costello - Sulphur To Sugarcane (Live On Letterman)

Elvis Costello Coming To Mountain Winery

We know the pic is old - we just couldn't help ourselves.

The Mountain Winery is an interesting beast: it's not in the city, their lineups tend to be full of schmaltzy legacy artists, it's one of our favorite venues in the Bay Area. Why, you ask? Well, to be frank, the vibe at this venue is just unparalleled. It's in an old stone winery on a hilltop in Saratoga, and it offers up a beautiful view of the whole bay area. What's more, the sound is great and the place is full of great seats. When we saw David Byrne there a few years back, it was unbelievable level of fun. The problem is, we seldom find a reason to get down to the venue, since it's lineup tends to err on the side of not being to our taste.

Today the venue announced their 2009 schedule, and as usual it's populated by artists who are either past their prime, extremely "soft", or just not pushing many boundaries with their new material. That is, save one: Elvis Costello is on the lineup for August 17th. Perhaps not coincidentally, Costello's appearance falls just before his wife, Diana Krall, makes a three night stand at the venue. Either way, we're not complaining.

Presumably Costello will be touring to support his new record Secret, Profane, & Sugarcane, as he's billed as "Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes". No word on what that band lineup will consist of, exactly, but we can assure you from personal experience that Costello puts on one of the best live shows you'll see, anywhere. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy one of our favorite Costello B-Sides (and there are a lot of them), "Hoover Factory".

mp3: Elvis Costello - Hoover Factory

Tickets go on sale next Sunday, April 26th at 10 AM.

Elvis Costello To Release New, Largely Acoustic, Album

Word has just come over the wire that Elvis Costello is ramping up to release a new record, entitled Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, on June 2nd. The album, which is produced by T. Bone Burnett, is currently being billed as a largely acoustic affair, and given Costello's past output with Burnett, we're guessing that means a pretty big dose of country.

Costello has long been an advocate of the rock/country crossover, with albums such as Almost Blue and King Of America. What's more, he was already making his way back towards the country vibe with 2004's Delivery Man. We have to admit we're not terribly surprised to hear that he's decided to go whole hog with the acoustic/country vibe once more.

That being said, we're big fans of last year's Momofuku, and we had sort of been harboring this hope that Costello would continue (at least for a little while) to milk his garage rock roots. Then again, with Burnett's recent success at the Grammies, and his history with Costello (he produced King Of America and Spike), it probably seemed like the market was ripe to rev up the old country music show.

Secret, Profane & Sugarcane Tracklist:
Down Among The Wine And Spirits
Complicated Shadows
I Felt The Chill
My All Time Doll
Hidden Shame
She Handed Me A Mirror
I Dreamed Of My Old Lover
How Deep Is The Red
She Was No Good"
Sulfur To Sugarcane
Red Cotton
The Crooked Line
Changing Partners

Elvis Costello Takes On Xtina, Oh How We Love It

We'll be the first to admit that we completely dig on Xtina's 2002 hit "Beautiful", and not without reason: For one, the woman's voice is just killer. For another, it's penned by former 4 Non Blondes leader Linda Perry, so it has a bit of cred. And really, we can't help but chuckle every time we see the melodramatic video that includes droves of stereotypically "ugly" protagonists. Ah, Hollywood.

Yet for all it's famous connections, we also think that "Beautiful" is really just an amazing song, and apparently Elvis Costello agrees with us. Costello covered the tune for the 2007 soundtrack to House MD, and we've had his version on near-constant rotation since. Costello completely abandons the grandiose balladry of the original to deliver a sparse version that depends largely on a lilting drum beat, and borrows more than a little from the arrangement of his own "The Bridge I Burned".

More than anything, we love this version because it shows just how great this tune truly is. Even disected and minimized to near-demo form, it swells with power and relevance. At the same time, Costello's version loses much of Aguilera's vibe of the "encouraging friend", and instead instills it with a triple dose of "get off your ass". Love it, people. Truly.

mp3: Elvis Costello - Beautiful

Rock And Roll Television Is Experiencing A Rejuvination

It's been quite a few years since there's been anything resembling a legitimate, intellectual, artistically sound television program about rock music. In fact, even the less insightful programs featuring chart countdowns are even going the way of the dodo. Probably the best thing in recent memory (and even it was ten years ago) was David Byrne's program Sessions From West 54th on PBS. Sure, there are some concert programs that simply show live music, but they seldom do much to investigate anything beyond the live experience as it stands up on its own. Given that, we've been subsisting on a steady diet of youtube clips and Classic Albums DVD's from Netflix. However, news over the past couple months has given us some hope that maybe the music program is on the rebound, and that there'll be a fair bit to gobble up over the next year.

To start with, you may remember that we mentioned Nigel Godrich's program From The Basement. Well, apparently it was popular enough to sustain a second season, and so it's back with a killer lineup of players, all getting recorded for your listening delight in specialized studio sessions. One of our favorite producers recording some fantastic bands? Not exactly a bad idea.

What's more, you may have heard about Elvis Costello and Elton John collaborating as producers on the Costello-hosted program Spectacle. The show features Costello interviewing, collaborating with, and then listening to, a wide range of celebrities who all have some sort of musical inclinations. (Yes, Bill Clinton is on the list. We're skeptical too.) Given that Costello and John are both admitted fanboys themselves, we're looking forward to checking out what kind of interviews Costello puts out there.

Oddly, the shows broadcast on the same night, so you'll have to negotiate your schedule accordingly. Sure, some of the guests aren't exactly to our taste, but frankly we're glad to see music reestablishing it's proper place as part of an otherwise shallow and dead world of television.

From The Basement Season Two Lineup:
12/3 - Gnarls Barkley, Sparks, The Kills
12/10 - My Morning Jacket, The Fall, White Denim
12/17 - Iggy Pop, CSS, Shortwave Set
12/24 - Radiohead, Andrew Bird, Fleet Foxes
12/31 - The Raconteurs, Seasick Steve, Band of Horses
1/7 - TBC supported by Mercury Rev and Terry Callier

Elvis Costello's Spectacle Lineup:
12/3 Sir Elton John
12/10 Lou Reed + Julian Schnabel
12/17 Bill Clinton
12/24 Elvis Costello with James Taylor
12/31 Tony Bennett
1/7 The Police
1/14 Rufus Wainwright
1/21 Kris Kristofferson, Rosanne Cash, Norah Jones, John Mellencamp
1/28 Renée Fleming
2/4 Herbie Hancock
2/11 She & Him, Jenny Lewis, Jakob Dylan
2/18 Diana Krall
2/25 Smokey Robinson

Wolfgang's Vault Has Classic Elvis Costello From San Francisco Circa 1978

We're going to assume, given that it's Thanksgiving week and all, that many of you will have a fair dose of free time on your hands over the coming days. Well, all things being equal, you may as well fill that time with some of the good tunage that's out there waiting for you. If you manage to tear yourself away from all the awesome new music out there, then we encourage you to take a step back and head over to Wolfgang's Vault. The always-awesome archive of Bill Graham's concerts is hosting an Elvis Costello & The Attractions show from 1978, and it's not to be missed. It's a recording from The Winterland right in the midst of Costello's pissed off young man phase, and the set is rife with the frustration and angst of his first two records. Highly recommended.

Stream - Elvis Costello Live At Winterland 06-07-1978

New Elvis Costello Up And Streaming

Okay, we're kinda torn on this one. As you may remember, we were pretty stoked that Elvis Costello had transcended the digital revolution, and decided to release his latest, Momofuku, only on vinyl. Well, today it turns out that you can stream the disc over the internets to your hearts content. Cool? Yes. In line with an all-analog ethos? Not exactly. Well, take it for what you will.

That being said, a first background listen while we wrote this post seems to indicate that the disc is a nice fuzzy pop guitar return to Blood & Chocolate era Elvis, which is awesome. Even though our vinyl's on the way, we're gonna go give it a listen. Thanks to stereogum for the tip.

Stream - Elvis Costello And The Imposters - Momofuku

Elvis Costello Has Evaded The Internets

Sure, there was a slight whimper when the release was announced, but it seems that Elvis Costello's new record has largely been released under the radar of the internet world as a whole. The record came out yesterday, and it seems that Costello has made an aggressive decision to initially only release the record on vinyl. That means no preview tracks, no pre-release reviews, just two platters of black plastic available by mail order. As far as we can tell, the disc is only available here, and (writing as "Your Unreliable Corresponedent) Costello himself has commented extensively on the release here. Most notably: "For those who like to know these things, we recorded exclusively to tape, completing and mixing each song before moving on to the next. The entire record took a week to record and mix."

What can we say? We're pretty damn excited that Costello is wholeheartedly leading the analog revolution, and we can't wait to get our copy in the mail.

Elvis Costello + Clover Playing "My Aim Is True" at GAMH 11/8

Elvis Costello will be stopping by the GAMH to play his seminal album "My Aim Is True" in full with original album backing band Clover! Presumably the show is spurred on by the recent deluxe reissue of the album. Clover were a band that acted as studio musicians on Costello's first disc, and were originally from Mill Valley. The group broke up, and the former members went on to form the Doobie Brothers and Huey Lewis And The News. So, I guess this is a story of non-local boy and local boys reuniting. Should be any amazing show! It looks like the ticket site has two shows listed on the same date - early and late perhaps? Tickets go on sale this Sunday, October 7th.

mp3: Elvis Costello (and Clover) - Alison