a night of tense drama and celebration
EDP 24 ( Norwich) reports -
Elvis has never recognised musical divides or boundaries and his 30-year career has been all the richer for it.
But for all the twists and turns he has taken, he has never forsaken the pop road.
I saw him play a memorable gig at the UEA in 1984 and have since seen him grace the Royal Albert Hall, the London Palladium, the Olympia Theatre in Dublin and numerous other fine venues. That this unexpected show at the UEA failed to sell out is indicative of the complete disinterest many of his older fans have shown in his recent classical releases.
Those who did turn out were treated to a night of tense drama and celebration.
With his beloved Liverpool having fought back from 3-0 down to 3-3 and take the game into extra time, Costello dutifully took to the stage shortly after 9.30 as requested.
Amid some boos, he launched into the first track from his debut album Welcome to the Working Week and got a drink hurled over him for his troubles.
While some of the audience remained glued to television screens around the venue, Costello ploughed on, delving deep into his past to play such material as Less than Zero, I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea, A Good year for the Roses and Club Land.
When it got to penalties Costello was ominously in the middle of Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down and followed that with A Kinder Murder.
Fortunately, these titles proved inapt and after the crowd let him in on the secret that Liverpool had indeed conquered Europe he seamlessly went into You'll Never Walk Alone, accompanied by the entire crowd.
For the celebration? He opted for an electrifying rendition of Mystery Dance and another gem from his country album Almost Blue, Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used to Do?
Late arrivals were all forgotten.
...well , not by all..........
Outraged fans walked out in disgust last night after Elvis Costello arrived on stage several hours late because he was watching the football.
He then shouted abuse at the audience and deliberately played badly.
The avid Liverpool fan had arrived on stage at the UEA at 9.40pm because he tried to catch the Champions League final on television.
Many fans had been waiting for him since 7.30pm and so when he received a hostile reaction from fans, he proceeded to shout abuse at them and under perform.
Andrew Milnes, of Wood Street, Norwich, was outraged. He said:
"At first I balked at the £25 tickets to see Elvis Costello at the UEA, but he was, after all, a hero of my youth, having written, produced and sung some of the greatest material of the late seventies.
"The tickets stated there was no support band so we arrived early and took up a good front-of-stage position. Then we heard the rumour that he was watching the football and he was.
"A support band was given the unenviable task of soothing an increasingly hostile crowd. When Elvis eventually daned to appear at 9.40pm there was loud booing.
"His reaction to this was to hurl abuse and play loudly, not very grown up, but more importantly, not very good.
"Great as he is, Elvis is not a guitar hero and this stint earned him a soaking with water from a fan.
"His band the Imposters probably knocked back by the hostile reaction, played like amateurs, the crowd knew the material better than they did and could probably have played it better too.
"The whole thing seemed to be done on the cheap and at £25 a ticket, that's not good enough."
Malca Schotten, from Norwich, was also in the audience. She said: "Some of us had been there since 7.30pm and didn't realise he was going to be late, so we were annoyed to say the least.
"Although there were some people shouting and throwing things, most people were polite.
"His reaction was completely over the top. He was swearing and gesturing to the crowd, showing a complete lack of respect - I don't care how famous you are, you should respect your fans.
"I paid £50 to take my sister for her birthday, I've always wanted to see him live and was really looking forward to it.
"His behaviour was disgusting and we were the first to walk out and plenty of people followed."
To which Elvis responded -
"I suppose there might have been a handful of people who didn't get the message that it was going to be a late show but after the audience had been treated to an excellent performance by a fine young local band – David K and The Defendants. The Imposters and I took the stage just after 9.30pm and played a non-stop two-hour set that seemed to be enjoyed by almost one and all.
The laughable expression of hostility from a cowardly drink-hurling drunk was countered with some comedic banter that a few timid souls seem to have mistaken for genuine aggression. They have clearly never witnessed a serious confrontation. This disruptive twerp was rightly and forcefully ejected from the premises although it may not have escaped his notice that the singer was holding a large plank of wood in his hand throughout the show.
Far from resenting the sporting background to the evening, the majority of the audience happily joined in an emotional and enthusiastic rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone, saluting the Liverpool victory with the massed illumination of their mobile phones.
Perhaps the 14 people who did ask for their money back are not allowed to stay out late at rock and roll shows. Or maybe they would be better suited to staying at home, reading their Delia Smith cookbooks over a nice cup of Horlicks while listening to their K-Tel collection of a Punk Rock Classic.
Obviously, if some of those asking for refunds simply had a late bus to catch then we extend our apologies for any confusion and inconvenience. They should contact us with adequate proof of purchase and we will arrange for them to receive guest tickets for our next Norfolk appearance.
Up The Reds and good luck to the Canaries with their push for promotion."