Dunkin' Elvis
NEWPORT -
In closing the Dunkin' Donuts Newport Folk Festival yesterday evening ( Aug. 8) at Fort Adams, Elvis Costello let his country side shine.
Costello sprinkled a few of his classics throughout his show, such as "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes," "Mystery Dance," "Brilliant Mistake" and "What's So Funny About Peace, Love and Understanding?" but the bulk of the middle of his set was devoted to country-esque ballads such as "Indoor Fireworks" and "Heart-Shaped Bruise." Emmylou Harris, who has done several recent shows singing before Costello and joining in on a few songs of his set, canceled due to an emergency in her family. The duo of Gillian Welch and North Smithfield native David Rawlings took her place.
Early on, Costello and his band, The Imposters, did three songs in a row from last year's record, The Delivery Man -- the ballad "Country Darkness," the sinister "Needle Time" (with theremin by keyboardist Steve Nieve) and the title track, which ranged from a sinister blues stomp to a delicate, sparse ending. Then came the long country segment, which included a guest appearance by Larry Campbell on fiddle and pedal steel guitar but still dragged in places. The segue from "Mystery Dance" to a revved-up version of Hank Williams' "Why Don't You Love Me Like You Used to Do?" made the country connections in Costello's work clear, though.