Elvis was pumped!
The TORONTO SUN reports -
ELVIS COSTELLO
Massey Hall, Toronto
Monday, March 15, 2004
Excerpt - Costello accompanied himself on ukulele to recreate the Celtic-tinged folk of The Scarlet Tide, the Oscar-nominated "anti-fear" song from Cold Mountain. And for the sad, passionate country song The Poisoned Rose and the fireside pop of Let Me Tell You About Her, Costello's voice took centre stage. Other highlights included Motel Matches, which showcases Costello's awesome facility with lyrics, Almost Blue -- which Krall covers on her upcoming album -- and Brilliant Mistake.
He broke for a good-humoured rant or two during a high-spirited rendition of God's Comic, making digs at George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, The Passion Of The Christ and CMT's black-hatted non-cowboys, and describing heaven as a bad nightclub from 1985 in which Duran Duran's Hungry Like A Wolf is stuck in the stereo.
After his most famous cover, Nick Lowe's (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, Costello and Nieve came back to do a handful of brand-new songs, which mark a turn away from the personal material of North back to his more characteristic, often vitriolic tales of disappointed lives and frustrated love. And let's face it -- although North was great, that's where Elvis Costello belongs, whether he's happy or not.
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Elvis was pumped!
Costello treated fans to a brilliant night of versatility
By MARY DICKIE, TORONTO SUN -- Toronto Sun
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ELVIS COSTELLO
Massey Hall, Toronto
Monday, March 15, 2004
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TORONTO -- There are those who say that the best music comes from the broken-hearted, but Elvis Costello certainly disproved that theory last night. The Anglo/Irish singer/songwriter -- and the proud new husband of Canadian jazz pianist Diana Krall -- showcased the breadth of his songwriting and the power of his voice with an exhilarating two-and-a-half-hour show at Massey Hall.
The quiet songs on Costello's latest album, North -- which are mostly about the breakup of his previous marriage and the beginning of his relationship with Krall -- were written specifically to spotlight his supple, warm voice, using only minimal instrumentation and a '50s pop approach. As such, they are well suited to the stripped-down presentation that saw Costello accompanied only by his longtime keyboardist, Steve Nieve.
But Costello's enormous body of work encompasses punk, new wave, jazz, orchestral music and country, and on his albums he's added all manner of instruments to his songs, from the Brodsky Quartet's strings to Chet Baker's trumpet to Nashville session players' pedal steel and fiddle. The fact that Costello and Nieve managed to create so many moods and colours with their limited palette was testament to their musical proficiency -- and, of course, the fact that the songs held up was evidence of their simple brilliance.
The set list straddled all the abovementioned genres and more. Costello and Nieve made I Hope You're Happy Now work even without its main riff, and added loud, dissonant guitar and fiercely banged piano to match the early fury of the reggae-ish Watching The Detectives and the high-energy rock and roll of Pump It Up.
Costello accompanied himself on ukulele to recreate the Celtic-tinged folk of The Scarlet Tide, the Oscar-nominated "anti-fear" song from Cold Mountain. And for the sad, passionate country song The Poisoned Rose and the fireside pop of Let Me Tell You About Her, Costello's voice took centre stage. Other highlights included Motel Matches, which showcases Costello's awesome facility with lyrics, Almost Blue -- which Krall covers on her upcoming album -- and Brilliant Mistake.
He broke for a good-humoured rant or two during a high-spirited rendition of God's Comic, making digs at George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, The Passion Of The Christ and CMT's black-hatted non-cowboys, and describing heaven as a bad nightclub from 1985 in which Duran Duran's Hungry Like A Wolf is stuck in the stereo.
After his most famous cover, Nick Lowe's (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding, Costello and Nieve came back to do a handful of brand-new songs, which mark a turn away from the personal material of North back to his more characteristic, often vitriolic tales of disappointed lives and frustrated love. And let's face it -- although North was great, that's where Elvis Costello belongs, whether he's happy or not.