CostelloNews.com

--

The show was remarkable in the brilliance of the seque's from song to song. I know this is trademark for an EC/Attractions/Imposters performance, but I thought that the intensity stayed high throughout directly as a function of the 'seamless' transitions between songs. Hell, it was hard enough for us to catch our breath from song to song in the audience. I don't know how the band can continue at that pace without taking a break!

Of course, the flip side of the fact that one song flowed seamlessly into the next was that the show was devoid of any real commentary from Elvis...something that I look forward to because of the wit, humor, and presence of Elvis from the stage. But he said little...if anything. No song introductions that I can recall. No quips about the Imposters. He yelled out an obligate "ELLLL- LAAAAAAYYYYY" and introduced the band. Other than that, I cannot recall any other spoken word other than those resident on the lyric sheet.

The atmosphere was a bit sterile, as there were images of rotating Amex cards everywhere, free drinks courtesy of Amex (okay, maybe that part was okay), Amex ladies dressed in the very chic colors of their latest credit card offering, etc. The event was clearly recorded for some reason or another, with two camera operators always on/around the stage, and a 'mobile'-crane based camera that swooped out over the crowd for some very nice shots of the band during the performance.

Remarkable things about the playlist for me:
1. He played Beyond Belief. I was happy after that, and could have called it a night, as it is my all time single favorite EC song.
2. He played an extended version of "Pump it up"...probably at least 12 minutes long. That was a little strange, but it certainly captivated much of the younger audience left over from DC.

As usual, the band was relentless in their pursuit of a strong show.