Just Saw Elvis Costello
 

... down at the old Ryman Auditorium. Great seats. Great show.

His band consisted of Mandolin, Fiddle/Banjo, Lap Slide Guitar, Acoustic Bass, Acoustic Guitar, and Accordian. Hell of a show. Lots of old stuff and new ... all freshly arranged for this band. Told lots of stories and did some audience calls.

The Ryman is a great room for him. Small and raucous. He could relax and jam without worrying about trying to please anybody. The encore consisted of about 8 songs. Awesome job by a songwriting genius.

FAX

Did he do radìo or accident can happen.
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Lucky you. Elvis Costello is one of my all time favorites. Great songwriter.

Neither of those, Mr. kcnut. Or "Allison" or whatever that one's called. Lots of brand new stuff and a couple of classics ... but neither of those, unfortunately.

Yeah, Mr. penchief, he is a phenomenal songwriter. This was a perfect room for him, the Ryman is small and he could just relax and be himself. There was a lot of love for him, the place was packed, and he obviously enjoyed himself. It was good to see.

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Elvis is absolutely amazing. His genius is sadly overlooked by the American public.

Yes it is. And I can't understand why either. There are a lot of people like my brother (a bit of a rock/blues historian) who love all the classic stuff but just don't seem to appreciate Elvis Costello as much.

I saw Elvis when he opened for the Police last year. After they figured out the sound problems during the second song it was a great show. Too bad he didn't play Allison. That was the best song of the set and Sting joined him for it. Amazingly, those two voices melded very well.

Color me jealous.

Elvis Costello and Lyle Lovett are my favorites to see live. EC doesn't come around so often these day.

Elvis is somewhat of an acquired taste, I think. He has a particular style that, to some people, might not seem ... I don't know ... "serious". A lot of his music has a subtle, "tongue in cheek" attitude.

I was surprised by his pipes last night. He had great range and power.

The best thing about it was that you could tell he felt "at home". It's not the first time he's played the Ryman and that audience really loves him. I just enjoyed watching him have a good time with his little acoustic band. They jammed on several tunes and, as I mentioned, the encore went on for a long, long time.

You go, Elvis.

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I've never seen Lyle Lovett. I've had several opportunities, it just never worked out. I've seen Elvis many times, though. In several career iterations.

It's not unusual for rock/pop artists to turn to Nashville in the twilight of their careers, and I guess that's what he's doing. I don't know him personally. The interesting thing is that his music really works well with an acoustic, semi-bluegrass arrangement. The vocals were as you would expect, but the band was made up of country session guys and the arrangements were, for the most part, light.

He's hung around Nashville a lot, so I'm guessing he's either exploring those influences or just trying to find a new audience. The new stuff still had "dark" aspects, though. References to death, execution, guns, knives, etc. Like traditional country "train/prison/booze/good love gone bad" stuff on steroids.

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Elvis Costello's voice makes me want to beat small children. It always has, too. There's just something about it, but I hate it.

Elvis is King.
His Aim Is True.

I can understand that, Mr. Donger. When I first heard him, I had a similar reaction. I would think, however, that his lyrics would appeal to a person like you. They are often very intelligent and the musical construction of his many of his tunes is both sophisticated and sometimes even progressive.

He's an unusual cat and he hasn't given an inch in pursuit of his artistry. That deserves props, if nothing else.

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Maybe it's his British accent.

I don't pay attention to the lyrics of songs, for the most part.