Watch Your Step: In Mining His Prodigious Past, Elvis Costello Strays From the Beaten Path -- Chicago Concert Review

Concert Review

Elvis Costello and the Imposters

Chicago Theatre

November 22, 2019

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A variety of engaging still images, typically shown as a matching or complementary trio, formed the backdrop for Elvis Costello's concert with the Imposters Friday night at the ornate Chicago Theatre.

Some were rather abstract graphics, others found Costello cheekily playing up his look on the cover of 1978’s This Year’s Model and, during “Watching the Detectives,” there were dozens of classic film noir posters, many in languages besides English.

All of these made for fun visuals to accompany the music; some were presumably new while others had also been part of the last Chicago show I saw Costello do, outside on Northerly Island in 2017, also with the Imposters.

My favorite of these images was shown repeatedly, but only before Elvis and the three musicians who comprise the Imposters took the stage. It's style was unlike any of the other graphics.

It was simply an ad promoting the first Chicago show by Elvis Costello and the Attractions--from which drummer Pete Thomas and pianist Steve Nieve remain in the Imposters--on December 2, 1977, in tandem with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

As shown on the ad, the price to get into a show featuring two of the greatest acts in rock history--though both still nascent at the time--was $3.00.

I was only 9 years old then and unaware of the show or either artist.

But just 3-1/2 years later, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers would be the first rock concert attended of my own volition--though accompanied by my dad--at a "free" show at the Rosemont Horizon, for which The Loop radio station gave away all the tickets.

The late TP remained one of my favorites, and I'd see him with the Heartbreakers several more times over the years.

It took a few more years for me to really know and appreciate Elvis Costello, but I was a fan by the mid-'80s and while living in Los Angeles in the early-'90s, I not only saw him live for the first time, I bought all of his then-available CDs in one fell swoop (beyond The Best of Elvis Costello & the Attractions compilation I already had).

Friday night was the 10th time I saw Costello onstage, mostly with the Imposters--who feature Danny Faragher on bass--including once opening for the Rolling Stones at Soldier Field on a freezing October night in 2006, as well as what was mostly a discussion & book signing (as part of the CHicago Humanities Festival), though he also played a few songs.

I wouldn't say I needed to see Elvis again at this just juncture, and didn't jump at tickets when they went on sale.

But enough seats remained available that--with the kind help of a friend willing to go to the Chicago Theatre box office on his lunch break even though he didn't attend--I was able to get a balcony seat for $38.50, without any Ticketmaster fees.

Costello is calling this the Just Trust Tour, explained as:

“The tour is entitled, ‘Just Trust’ in answer to the musical questions: ‘Will they play my favorite song?,’ or, ‘Are they going to frighten the horses with a lot of excellent songs that are rarely performed?,’ not to mention, ‘Can I expect the hits of yesteryear and those of tomorrow?’ To which we say: Just Trust Elvis Costello and The Imposters.” 

So--particularly in having seen via Setlist.fm that their performances this fall were fairly lengthy and included several songs I love--I trusted.

And was, almost entirely, richly rewarded.

Sure, I rued not hearing one of my EC favorites, "Brilliant Mistake," which was done the night before
in Ann Arbor.

"(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" and "Radio, Radio" are a couple others I wish hadn't been eschewed on this night.

But Elvis Costello, now 65--he was born Declan MacManus--has released 30 studio albums, most of which have several stellar songs.

So there's no way he's gonna play everything everyone hopes to hear. (This was the Chicago setlist.)

And he noted early on that the tour's two female backing vocalists--who also serve as a visual foil for the four male musicians--were both out of commission with the flu, so the band was going to play some things they often don't. (The women being gone seemingly put the kibbosh on material from 2018's fine Look Now album, as only "He's Given Me Things" was played from it.)

Starting with opening song "Strict Time," I heard several familiar tunes that I quite enjoyed, including a cherished rarity like "Big Tears," a great take on "Accidents Will Happen" powered by sublime piano from Nieve, likewise a truly wistful "Almost Blue"--though of course, some assholes couldn't help chatter during this most delicate of songs--and a blissfully extended "I Want You."

There were several other recognizable gems from throughout Costello's vast oeuvre--"Watch Your Step," "Mystery Dance," "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," "Veronica," "This Year's Girl," "High Fidelity" and the aforementioned, "Watching the Detectives."

Encores of "Pump It Up," "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" and "Alison" were as blissful as one could want.

And including a few pairing just Costello and Nieve, songs I didn't readily know--such as "Stations of the Cross," "I Still Have That Other Girl," "A Face in the Crowd" and "Blood and Hot Sauce"--routinely sounded terrific.

So it was certainly a great show, clocking in at nearly 135 minutes.

But whereas I had awarded Costello gigs in 2017, 2014 and 2013 a full @@@@@ on my Seth Saith rating scale, this one felt somewhat disjointed and uneven at times--perhaps due to changes resulting from the missing vocalists--despite all the sensational music and some fun storytelling from Costello.

Hence, the 1/2@ deduction.

Certainly this is critical trifling, and with the singer seemingly in good stead and great voice after he had to cancel some summer 2018 shows due to cancer--from which he's seemingly fully recovered--I'm happy to report that some 42 years after first playing in Chicago* on a bill with the dearly departed Tom Petty, one can trust in the ever-enduring greatness of Elvis Costello.

His aim is still true.

---
*Per Setlist.fm, Elvis Costello's first Chicago area concert seemingly came at B'Ginnings in suburban Schaumburg, two days before the show at the Riv that I referenced above, which was the first in Chicago proper. It was followed by another gig at the Riv the next night, apparently without Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. The 12/2/77 show was not Petty's first in Chicago.

Elvis is Alive and His Aim is Still True -- Milwaukee Concert Review: Elvis Costello & the Imposters

Concert Review

Elvis Costello
& the Imposters
with opening act
Willy Porter
BMO Harris Bank Pavilion,
Summerfest Grounds, Milwaukee, WI
September 15, 2012
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Saturday night in Chicago offered a wealth of concert possibilities, including some of my very favorite artists: Rush at the United Center, Wilco at the Hideout Block Party, Buddy Guy at the Chicago Theatre and Roger McGuinn at the Beverly Arts Center, where he had given an outstanding performance in June 2011.

And although I am not big on festivals, Riot Fest in Humboldt Park seemed to offer good value and on Saturday featured such quality acts as the Gaslight Anthem and Dropkick Murphys.

So of course, I decided to go up to Milwaukee to see Elvis Costello & the Imposters.

Especially compared to Rush, Wilco, Guy and McGuinn, all of whom I’ve seen live within the past couple years, it’d been too long since I attended a show by the artist originally known as Declan McManus. I saw Elvis and the Imposters open for the Rolling Stones on a bitterly cold night in 2006, but hadn’t seen Costello as a headliner since a free Taste of Chicago concert in 2003. I’d seen him on three occasions before that, dating back to 1991, but for a musician I’ve really liked for over 25 years and from whom I own over 20 albums, at least one more live experience seemed in order.

Though Costello still seems to come through Chicago fairly often, he isn’t currently in the midst of a full-fledged American tour, with no other recent shows and only a run of California dates coming up.

He and the Imposters were scheduled to play Riot Fest on Sunday, but while the lineup was stellar—also including Iggy & the Stooges, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Built to Spill, Fishbone and Alkaline Trio—the festival wasn’t conducive to my schedule or my discomfort in standing for long periods.

So just this week, I got tickets—in the 6th row—to see Costello at his only other Midwest show, in Milwaukee, and went up there with my friend Paolo, who’s an even bigger Elvis fan than I am. The concert was held at the BMO Harris Bank Pavilion, a relatively recently constructed stage on the grounds of Milwaukee Summerfest, that to my awareness, joins the Marcus Amphitheatre as the only such venues to hold concerts outside of the annual Summerfest festival.

Because Paolo also had tickets to the nearby Rock the Green festival, on a gorgeous afternoon in Milwaukee we checked out a band from Australia named Atlas Genius and one from Las Vegas called Imagine Dragons. Both were listenable but in my estimation, nothing special. After a good Cuban dinner at a place called Cubanitas, we made our way onto the Summerfest grounds and to our prime seats at the BMO Harris Pavilion, which is attractively designed along a lovely lakeside setting.

Although we were only alerted to the opening act upon arrival, we discovered him to be a terrifically enjoyable Wisconsin-based folk singer named Willy Porter (shown at left). 

Onstage alone, Porter clearly won over the crowd with a delightful set of songs and brilliant guitar playing. His fretwork was particularly dazzling on a song called "Breathe"; other than perhaps Lindsay Buckingham, I don't know that I've ever witnessed anyone playing an acoustic guitar with such obvious ability and flair.

All of Porter's songs were pleasant, with "How to Rob a Bank" being an insightful highlight about modern-day financial thievery. He also performed a sublime interpretation of Peter Gabriel's "Digging in the Dirt" and clearly deserved the standing ovation he earned at the end of a near hourlong set. (Here is just one Willy Porter video I found on YouTube, of "Breathe" from a few years ago.)

Then it was time for Elvis, and from the opening notes of first song "Lipstick Vogue," it was apparent that even at 58, Mr. Costello's voice is still in fine form. For the next 100 minutes or so, he and the Imposters--pianist Steve Nieve, drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher, the first two being original Attractions--mixed a cavalcade of Costello classics with a few songs I, and even Paolo, didn't recognize but that didn't detract.

No one has yet posted a setlist for Milwaukee on Setlist.fm, and I don't know it in full, but among the gems that Elvis played--all rather well, some with nice variances from the recordings--roughly in order were "Lipstick Vogue," "Mystery Dance," "Radio Radio," "Everyday I Write the Book," "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," "High Fidelity," "Uncomplicated," "Watching the Detectives," "Beyond Belief," "Clubland," "Less Than Zero," "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," "Pump It Up" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding." 

He also covered Johnny Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry" and closed with a rollicking version of The Byrds' "So You Want to be a Rock 'n' Roll Star."

As with any show by someone with a songbook of Elvis' magnitude--although his output, especially from 1977 to 1986, is matched by a relatively small handful of artists--a few great tunes were left out. But other than "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes," "Oliver's Army," "Alison" and personal favorite, "Brilliant Mistake," there wasn't a whole lot that I acutely missed hearing.

And as, like his voice, a slimmed-down Costello remains in good shape, I certainly would be happy to see him again, the next time through Chicago. Or Milwaukee.

Although for me, and presumably for Paolo, this wasn't a @@@@@ show rivaling the Springsteen epics at Wrigley last weekend. But it was as good as I was hoping for from an artist that remains among the best at what he does. And made all the more special from a close-up vantage point, it more than merited the drive north across the border and the foregoing of other attractive entertainment options. 

35 years after his debut album, My Aim is True, announced him as a major talent, Elvis Costello is still, quite impressively, hitting his target.