As the date due nearer, I was reading reviews and watching videos that suggested things weren't going to be great - "His voice has gone", "He's messed with all the songs and ruined then", "We left after 20 minutes. It was awful" I read and, truth be known, the videos did suggest that maybe there was more than a little truth in those comments.
Still, I had a ticket and Shepherds Bush is an easy drive and tube ride away, so I thought I'd go and see and hear for myself.
While I've fond memories of those early songs, I've never thought of Costello as a great singer and, as I'd never seen him before, I didn't have anything to compare it with, except recordings.
I arrived about 7:15 and found the venue pleasantly chilled as London transitioned into a record breaking June heatwave.
About 7:45 two men appeared on stage, one looking familiar, but it took a few moment to realise it was Squeeze's Chris Difford, who I'd seen at the Boiler Room in Guildford some years ago.
With his fellow musician on a slide guitar, he quipped and played songs, both Squeeze and solo ones and was, as at Guildford amusing (He looks and sounds like the late Sean Lock) as he regaled of his early days with Squeeze ("Queen were rehearsing next door and Freddie played me this song called Bohemian Rhapsody. It's too long, Freddie, cut out the middle bit, it's crap!") and flying to America on Laker Airways for a solo song ("Freddie and the Dreamers").
An excellent support act and, one, I suspected would be hard to follow.
After the usual on stage shenagagins (last minute soundchecks, moving stuff around), about 8:45 the lights went down and Elvis Costello and his band took the stage with no theatricals.
I'll be honest, I didn't recognise "You Belong To Me", and didn't know the next 2 songs, but the band were energetic and sounded good, although Elvis' voice was rather lost in the mix (it seems less so in these videos, maybe my hearing's going!), I felt, which made me wonder if that was intentional, given the poor reviews.
The fourth song, "Watching The Detectives", though, I did know and it started familiarly enough, before morphing into a bluesy, Rolling Stones-like, extended version - I thought it was great!
The Imposters are 2/3rds of the original Attractions, so they should know these songs and were joined by Charlie Sexton, an American best known for his association with Bob Dylan (Ironically, after seeing and reading reviews for earlier events on this tour, I feared this might be an experience like I had when I saw Bob Dylan, where he played incoherent, unrecognisable versions of his songs and ignored the audience with a disinterest bordering on contempt - Definitely the worst gig I ever went to!).
Another couple of lesser known songs I didn't recall followed, before they slowed things down for the Charlie Rich "Who Will The Next Fool Be". With Elvis on the piano and one of the band on an electronic double bass and not much more, Elvis' voice was exposed here, but didn't disappoint. He sounded good!
One of my favourite Elvis Costello songs is "Every Day I Write The Book" and here he played a slow arrangement for the first time. Videos of the earlier re-arrangement were what had given me the greatest concern about this gig, but this arrangement was brilliant, if totally different to the breezy, poppy original. I'm all for a good re-arrangement of a familiar song and this was exactly that! Again, his voice sound strong and clear, no complaints here.
A mix of lesser known and better known ("Clubland"- slightly rearranged, and including a snippet of Ghost Town, by The Specials, "Brilliant Mistake" and a very lively "Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?" led into "Beyond Belief" and a bizarre opening to "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down", where Elvis seemed to sing deliberately off key in a slow, pub-singer style, before it burst into the original powerful version we're all familar with.
That led into a final stretch that I can't imagine any fan of Costello's early songs would have been disappointed in starting with "High Fidelity", through "Alison" and "Man Out Of Time" to a rousing, almost breathless finale of "Chelsea", "Pump It Up", "Radio Radio", "Shipbuilding", "Oliver's Army" (Some bemoan him messing with the lyrics, but only rappers get away with "Nigger" these days and I'd rather a slight re-write than losing this great song from the set altogether - The whole venue was singing along!), finishing on an uplifting "Peace, Love and Understanding".
I'll be honest, I had a great evening. I do think that his voice was lost in the mix on some of the louder songs, but it sounded fine on the acoustic ones, better than I'd credited him with, if I'm honest, and most of the songs were played as I knew them, with the few heavily reworked, for me at least, being none the worse for it!
Certainly there was no mass exodus 20 minutes in. When I headed towards the back as Shipbuilding started, the place was still packed and remained that way until near the end of Peace, Love and Understanding as some tried to beat the rush.
Perhaps he was on good form this evening, but on the strength of my experience, I'd say go and see them on this tour if you get the chance!
Setlist:
You Belong to Me
Mystery Dance
Lipstick Vogue
Watching the Detectives
Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head
Home Truth
King Horse
Who Will the Next Fool Be
Everyday I Write the Book (Unique, slower arrangement for this gig only)
A Face in the Crowd
Heathen Town
Brilliant Mistake
Clubland (Included snippet of Ghost Town by The Specials)
Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?
Wonder Woman
Beyond Belief
I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down
High Fidelity
Less Than Zero
Alison
Lovers Walk
Man Out of Time
No Action
(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea
Pump It Up
Radio Radio
Shipbuilding
Oliver's Army
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding
