Review: NYC 9/22/2003 Daily News
Elvis Costello played from his new album
By MAC RANDALL - SPECIAL TO THE DAILY NEWS
EXCERPTS: "So I'm at Town Hall," Elvis Costello cracked near the
start of his performance at the venerable W. 43rd St. auditorium Monday. "Does that make me the mayor?"
..."Which Elvis Costello was in the house? The spiky rocker? The classical buff? The jazz aficionado? Or the Merle Haggardloving country crooner? During a generous two-hour set, Costello - who plays Town Hall again tonight - displayed all these sides of his dizzyingly eclectic musical personality.
..."On record, many of the "North" numbers feel washed out, handicapped by string and horn arrangements that are tasteful to a fault. But stripped down to just piano and voice, they gained a surprising intensity. Taking advantage of Town Hall's stellar acoustics, Costello sang in an intimate, conversational fashion, often abandoning his microphone. Nieve tossed off florid trills, broke into jaunty bursts of stride and lingered over pregnant pauses, during which you could hear the crowd breathe.
(Submitted by John Foyle)
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Onstage, Costello
finds true 'North'
.
"So I'm at Town Hall," Elvis Costello cracked near the
start of his performance at the venerable W. 43rd St. auditorium Monday. "Does that make me the mayor?"
Well, no.
But easy as it was to answer that question, a bigger
one remained:
Which Elvis Costello was in the house?
The spiky rocker? The classical buff? The jazz
aficionado? Or the Merle Haggardloving country
crooner?
During a generous two-hour set, Costello - who plays
Town Hall again tonight - displayed all these sides of
his dizzyingly eclectic musical personality.
He did it in ultra-Spartan style, accompanied only by
longtime foil Steve Nieve on piano and melodica,
occasionally joining in himself on acoustic guitar.
And he did it with seemingly effortless command.
Nine of the show's 27 songs came from Costello's new
CD, "North," a subdued collection of ballads tracing
the demise of one relationship and the start of
another. According to Costello, it was the first time
they'd been played in a full-length concert.
On record, many of the "North" numbers feel washed
out, handicapped by string and horn arrangements that
are tasteful to a fault.
But stripped down to just piano and voice, they gained
a surprising intensity.
Taking advantage of Town Hall's stellar acoustics,
Costello sang in an intimate, conversational fashion,
often abandoning his microphone. Nieve tossed off
florid trills, broke into jaunty bursts of stride and
lingered over pregnant pauses, during which you could
hear the crowd breathe.
"Fallen," with its dreamy autumnal melody plumbing the
depths of Costello's vocal range, was a particular
standout.
Besides the "North" tracks, Costello and Nieve
peppered the set with fan favorites ("Accidents Will
Happen," "Man Out of Time"), rarities ("Either Side of
the Same Town," written for soul singer Howard Tate)
and a tender tribute to Johnny Cash, "I Still Miss
Someone."
They also, quietly, made a political point with three
songs in a row: "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love
and Understanding," "Radio Silence" and the haunting
anti-war anthem "Shipbuilding."
Originally published on September 24, 2003
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