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Is it a library? No, it's a Costello concert
By Jim Harrington, CONTRIBUTOR

ELVIS Costello brings many things to mind. Turning off
the cell phone isn't usually one of them. But that's
exactly the situation a capacity crowd found itself in
Thursday as Costello brought his hushed, subdued and
mostly acoustic act to the Warfield in San Francisco.
In all, it was a fairly enjoyable night of music that
focused on Costello's latest release, "North," as well
as many obscure tracks. But it could have been much
more than it was. It was probably the wrong setting
for the show. The concert was a soft evening of
sentimental songs performed with voice, guitar and
piano and would have been better suited for a more
intimate venue such as Yoshi's. As it was, those with
the best seats near the stage received a far better
experience than those at the back of the venue.
Costello performed as if he were playing a small
nightclub, often moving away from the microphone and
allowing his words to drift softly into the night. For
their part, the audience members fervently tried to
keep the venue as quiet as a place of worship. It
worked fairly well but, at times, the extreme shushes
rang out more loudly than the music. To the few
noisemakers' defense, this was a tough show to remain
quiet through. Clocking in at roughly 140 minutes, the
concert was too long for the type of low-key material
presented. Also, an opening act would have helped
break up the monotony. Costello, 49, was in perfect
voice. He sounded strong and clear -- at least when he
was standing near the mic -- as he crooned his way
through "Green Shirt," "You Left Me in the Dark" and
"Brilliant Mistake." Those who came out expecting a
run through Costello's greatest hits were definitely
in the wrong building. The singer-guitarist basically
ignored his old singles in favor of more mature
efforts and tracks from "North," which can be seen as
a love letter to his new wife, jazz-star Diana Krall,
as well as a direct extension from his work with Burt
Bacharach. The crowd had to endure an hour of mostly
unknown songs before Costello finally dusted off a
classic. Luckily, it was worth the wait. Twenty-five
years after its release, "(What's so Funny'Bout)
Peace, Love and Understanding" is as relevant and as
poignant as ever.

You can e-mail Jim Harrington at
jimthecritic@yahoo.com .