Elvis Costello should be lauded for his bravery. His packed show
at CMAC Saturday night had the man unapologetically taking chances. He
showcased a lot of material from his 1982 album “Imperial Bedroom” to a crowd
that sat through it waiting for the hits. “Imperial Bedroom” is classic
Costello — though the melodies are a bit illusive, even for the rabid Costello
fan.
Saturday night, his lineup was stripped down to guitar, bass,
drums, keys, and two female back-up singers who stole the show when
accompanying Costello on a jazzy take of “Alison.” Costello also took on all of
the guitar duties — this is where the bravery comes in as it was rough in
spots, genius in others, and brilliant over all.
The hits came cascading thunderously toward the end, and I
finally got to hear “Pump It Up” in a discerning, album-accurate time
signature. It was a loose non-stop blast — at just over two hours — with the on
screen, pulp fiction montage one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while.
This article appears in Jun 14-20, 2017.
I agree with all you wrote, Frank. I’ve been a big fan of Elvis Costello for a long time. The whole vibe was great, and his band was hot. Sadly, the sound was the poorest I’ve ever heard at CMAC. It was far louder than desirable for an artist of Elvis’ wit and subtlety, but I can understand that some sound engineers might mistakenly think that much volume is necessary at an outdoor show. But distortion? “Clubland” is one of my favorite Costello tunes, and I couldn’t recognize what I was listening to until midway through the first chorus. The needles had to be completely buried while the board op slept. In all my years of attending CMAC shows, this is the first I’ve experienced poor sound. Who were those guys?