Nothing like an apocalyptic waltz on a Saturday night
Elvis 'n Emmy finished their tour to great reviews -
Wolf Trap , July 31 -
Elvis Costello's concert Sunday night at Wolf Trap was a test of endurance: His three-hour set included a 10-song encore and a 13-song country mini-set with guest Emmylou Harris.
But even with such a lengthy nod to Nashville, the night was typical Costello: earnest vocals, tightly executed arrangements as his backing band, the Imposters, followed his every speeding guitar riff, and a casual sense of humor. In introducing Merle Haggard's "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down," he joked that earlier in life his mission was "to rid the world of alcohol -- by drinking it!"
While Costello's fervent energy built momentum through his set, some of the evening's best songs were exercises in restraint. He, Harris and bassist Davey Faragher clustered around a single microphone to sing the Stanley Brothers' "Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet," accompanied solely by Costello's guitar and a violin. And Costello's mellow vocals harmonized seamlessly with Harris's on a cover of Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons's "Wheels."
Not surprisingly, there were several tributes to Parsons, Harris's partner early in her career, from a tender duet of "Love Hurts" to a majestically melancholy version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," which Parsons recorded with his Flying Burrito Brothers. But even in a set so packed with covers, Costello's own material was the most memorable, as he closed the night with his passionate antiwar song "The Scarlet Tide," with a haunting plea to "bring the boys back home."
Columbus , Ohio, July 30 -
Elvis Costello and the Imposters ended the first segment of a nearly three-hour concert Saturday night in PromoWest Pavilion with Waiting For The End Of The World, a song Costello wrote in London's subway in 1976 for his famed punk-rock debut album.
Then he introduced country singer Emmylou Harris for Stranger in the House, a flat-out honky-tonk song. Costello confessed he wrote the song in 1977, when "performing country music was verboten '' and his manager would hide the George Jones cassettes when journalists were around.
Though Stranger and the more than a dozen country songs played Saturday were no surprise to Costello fans, enlisting Harris as his co-conspirator for the program summarized his love of the music.
A songwriter known for his clever wordplay and poetic cadence, Costello offered the Louvin Brothers' My Baby's Gone and the all-time great first line, "Hold back the rushing minutes, make the wind lie still,'' as evidence of the music's value.
Partnering with Harris also allowed Costello to emulate Gram Parsons, the deceased hero of alternative country and Harris' mentor and frequent singing partner.
But many of the reprised Parsons/Harris duets were flawed. Parsons and Harris' voices were uncommonly matched, both of them as beautiful and brittle as a dried wood carving. But Costello's phrasing and the warmth of his tone is a more difficult partner for the arid emotion of Harris' voice.
The closest the two came to the Parsons-Harris magic was in the encore with Wild Horses, a Rolling Stones song inspired by Parsons. They were furthest away on Love Hurts, a ballad best defined by the Everly Brothers and Parsons-Harris.
Larry Campbell, borrowed from Bob Dylan's band, sweetened all, though, with steel guitar and mandolin.
The program testified to the variety of styles Costello has tapped, his still-brilliant songwriting and a couple of themes that have run through much of his work. Displacement was key in American Without Tears, one of the evening's highs, reflecting Costello's English/Irish heritage. Monkey To Man and 45 were two of several songs that displayed the singer's rock 'n' roll abilities. Mystery Dance and Pump It Up were tributes to Costello's punk days and were plenty raucous. The Scarlet Tide, an Oscar-nominated song co-written with T-Bone Burnett for Cold Mountain, displayed Costello's politics with the newly written line, "You lied/bring the boys home.''
Still the evening was special because of Harris' presence and the duo's delivery of mostly tragic songs. Her lovely delivery of Red Dirt Girl under a balmy summer sky was as good as it gets, even though the song is full of pain. Or, as she said after Sin City : "Nothing like an apocalyptic waltz on a Saturday night.''
Elvis Costello and Company At Wolf Trap: All in Good Time
Tuesday, August 2, 2005; C02
Elvis Costello's concert Sunday night at Wolf Trap was a test of endurance: His three-hour set included a 10-song encore and a 13-song country mini-set with guest Emmylou Harris.
But even with such a lengthy nod to Nashville, the night was typical Costello: earnest vocals, tightly executed arrangements as his backing band, the Imposters, followed his every speeding guitar riff, and a casual sense of humor. In introducing Merle Haggard's "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down," he joked that earlier in life his mission was "to rid the world of alcohol -- by drinking it!"
While Costello's fervent energy built momentum through his set, some of the evening's best songs were exercises in restraint. He, Harris and bassist Davey Faragher clustered around a single microphone to sing the Stanley Brothers' "Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet," accompanied solely by Costello's guitar and a violin. And Costello's mellow vocals harmonized seamlessly with Harris's on a cover of Chris Hillman and Gram Parsons's "Wheels."
Not surprisingly, there were several tributes to Parsons, Harris's partner early in her career, from a tender duet of "Love Hurts" to a majestically melancholy version of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," which Parsons recorded with his Flying Burrito Brothers. But even in a set so packed with covers, Costello's own material was the most memorable, as he closed the night with his passionate antiwar song "The Scarlet Tide," with a haunting plea to "bring the boys back home."
-- Catherine P. Lewis
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
DUO SPECIAL DESPITE CONFLICTING VOICES
Monday, August 1, 2005
By Curtis Schieber
FOR THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Elvis Costello and the Imposters ended the first segment of a nearly three-hour concert Saturday night in PromoWest Pavilion with Waiting For The End Of The World, a song Costello wrote in London's subway in 1976 for his famed punk-rock debut album.
Then he introduced country singer Emmylou Harris for Stranger in the House, a flat-out honky-tonk song. Costello confessed he wrote the song in 1977, when "performing country music was verboten '' and his manager would hide the George Jones cassettes when journalists were around.
Though Stranger and the more than a dozen country songs played Saturday were no surprise to Costello fans, enlisting Harris as his co-conspirator for the program summarized his love of the music.
A songwriter known for his clever wordplay and poetic cadence, Costello offered the Louvin Brothers' My Baby's Gone and the all-time great first line, "Hold back the rushing minutes, make the wind lie still,'' as evidence of the music's value.
Partnering with Harris also allowed Costello to emulate Gram Parsons, the deceased hero of alternative country and Harris' mentor and frequent singing partner.
But many of the reprised Parsons/Harris duets were flawed. Parsons and Harris' voices were uncommonly matched, both of them as beautiful and brittle as a dried wood carving. But Costello's phrasing and the warmth of his tone is a more difficult partner for the arid emotion of Harris' voice.
The closest the two came to the Parsons-Harris magic was in the encore with Wild Horses, a Rolling Stones song inspired by Parsons. They were furthest away on Love Hurts, a ballad best defined by the Everly Brothers and Parsons-Harris.
Larry Campbell, borrowed from Bob Dylan's band, sweetened all, though, with steel guitar and mandolin.
The program testified to the variety of styles Costello has tapped, his still-brilliant songwriting and a couple of themes that have run through much of his work. Displacement was key in American Without Tears, one of the evening's highs, reflecting Costello's English/Irish heritage. Monkey To Man and 45 were two of several songs that displayed the singer's rock 'n' roll abilities. Mystery Dance and Pump It Up were tributes to Costello's punk days and were plenty raucous. The Scarlet Tide, an Oscar-nominated song co-written with T-Bone Burnett for Cold Mountain, displayed Costello's politics with the newly written line, "You lied/bring the boys home.''
Still the evening was special because of Harris' presence and the duo's delivery of mostly tragic songs. Her lovely delivery of Red Dirt Girl under a balmy summer sky was as good as it gets, even though the song is full of pain. Or, as she said after Sin City : "Nothing like an apocalyptic waltz on a Saturday night.''