Member Sure2B filed this with us recently:Elvis had gone country and it sure suits him.Sounds like you had one helluva time, Sure2B. Glad we could make it happen.
That would be the "aging punk rocker" - as British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello jokingly referred to himself in a quiet moment we had backstage.
Costello, who experimented with country music before on his 1981 album of country music covers, Almost Blue, wisely brought six exceptional Nashville acoustic musicians (the so-called Sugarcanes whose ranks include bluegrass legend Jerry Douglas of Alison Krauss and Union Station fame) with him this time in support of his latest album, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane.
The end result was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Wielding mainly an acoustic guitar - although he did go electric on a few occasions - the 55-year-old Costello who celebrated that benchmark birthday earlier this week - proved to be a consummate performer, as he dramatically moved around the stage with flourish (not to mention in a bright purple hat) while sounding rich in voice - letting some major hoots and hollers rip- and full of funny stories too.
He sure seemed to be enjoying himself as he played 30 tunes - including a couple of new songs, one that he claimed to have written on Friday afternoon - over the course of a two-hour-and-20 minute show that included two encores.
While the twang of Secret, Profane & Sugarcane material was best exemplified on such standout new songs as the moody My All Time Doll and Down Among The Wines and Spirits and the rollicking Hidden Shame, Complicated Shadows, The Crooked Line, and Sulpher To Sugarcane, Costello also countrified many of his older tunes and paid homage to those who came before him including Elvis Presley (Mystery Train), Merle Haggard (The Bottle Let Me Down), Chuck Berry (Don't You Lie To Me), Buddy Holly (Not Fade Away), The Rolling Stones (Happy), and George Jones (The Race Is On).
He also pulled a gem out of The Velvet Underground back catalogue with a staggeringly good version of Femme Fatale and successfully reinvented his own early hits like Blame It On Cain, Indoor Fireworks, Mystery Dance, Everyday I Write The Book, Brilliant Mistake, Red Shoes, Alison, (What's So Funny' Bout) Peace Love And Understanding and more recent tunes like The Delivery Man.
His generosity was also on display as Costello often let his talented musicians take long turns in the solo spotlight.
What else can I add? What a night. Thank you BPD.
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