Elvis Costello tickets free !

[Pale Rider]

He played a lot of his older stuff,classics like watching the detectives some newer songs and a encore of Oliver's Army.Really was a good show.He was chatty like I say,told a few stories of his parents and a little political angst ! You'd have known most of it though.

Sounds like a mixed set I would have enjoyed.

Worth pointing out Costello cannot win.

You have people like me who only want him to play his early stuff, but if he carried on rehashing those songs for years he would be criticised by others for being stuck in a time warp and not developing as an artist.

I heard Paul Weller say he flatly refuses to play Jam hits because, 40+ years later, he cannot see the point.

 

[Adam4868]

Sounds like a mixed set I would have enjoyed.

Worth pointing out Costello cannot win.

You have people like me who only want him to play his early stuff, but if he carried on rehashing those songs for years he would be criticised by others for being stuck in a time warp and not developing as an artist.

I heard Paul Weller say he flatly refuses to play Jam hits because, 40+ years later, he cannot see the point.

Yea I know what you mean,I think he played a great set mixed with enough of his older stuff to please everyone.With the odd story...didn't know Sid James died on stage at the Sunderland Empire !
I'm not 100% convinced you should allways try and go back to how it was so to speak.
The Jam were of that time,same way I went to watch the Stone Roses reunion and though nah I should of left that memory as a 18 year old !
There's enough cover bands doing the rounds to cover nostalgia for me.

 

[Pale Rider]

Sid James dying on stage at the Sunderland Empire is a good story because it plays into the other tales of hard Northern club audiences.

Strictly, he collapsed on stage and died a day or so later in hospital.

An older mate of mine went to see one of the London 60s pop stars at the Empire.

He refused to sing his big hit, despite many requests.

This culminated in him saying: "It's my effin' concert and I will sing what I effin' well want to."

That did it, he was literally pelted off the stage by a volley of fruit and vegetables.

Believe it or not, there used to be a fruit and veg stall outside the Empire which sold produce to the audience for the purpose of throwing at a turn which didn't meet expectations.

 

[Rock bus]

I love Elvis Costello‘S music but have been really disappointed the two times I’ve seen him live -tour when he had the wheel ‘choosing’ songs and at Glastonbury.
Even though he played all the favourite songs, he was quite dull and surprisingly uncharasmatic.
one of my biggest musical disappointments

 

[Bonefish Blues]

I heard Paul Weller say he flatly refuses to play Jam hits because, 40+ years later, he cannot see the point.

Artists eh?

Is the answer 'because it's the best work you've ever done Paul'?

 

[Rezillo]

I'm a big fan, although what I'm about to say suggests otherwise.

I saw him during the tour for This Year's Model. The sound system was painfully distorted, the band played as if they had met for the first time that night and Costello sang off key. It was a crushing disappoIntment and a contrast with my other faves of the time, Be Bop Deluxe and Graham Parker and The Rumour, who were both magnificent on stage.

Nevertheless the Costello concert got rave reviews. The music press had favourites at that time who could do no wrong, no matter how bad they were on the night. Fortunately, his many subsequent albums made up for my early disappointment but live he could still be a bit hit and miss.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Interesting that several of us have had the same experience.

 

[Adam4868]

I went the other night and thought he was brilliant.Cant please everyone I guess.