There are more of their songs planned for the nights to come, and surely a few unannounced ones will pop up as well. It’s a question worth asking again and again, especially if you know any investors out there looking to make some money on what would surely be the next Spamalot. As for the latter, I’ve never heard him sing a bad version of “God Give Me Strength,” a song that should’ve won an Oscar but (shockingly/shamefully) was not even nominated.Ĭostello took a few moments – as he has on every night of this residency – to speak tenderly about his friendship and creative partnership with Bacharach, at one point wondering aloud as to how on earth the Austin Powers musical with songs written by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello isn’t playing in a Broadway theater right now. The former hasn’t been played in concert since 1999, but you wouldn’t guess it from the way Costello absolutely nailed it tonight. In addition to finally performing the Bacharach/David classic “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself,” along with the tender “Photographs Can Lie” from 2018’s Grammy-winning Look Now, they also pulled out two of the biggest showstoppers in the Burt and Elvis canon: “What’s Her Name Today?” and “God Give Me Strength.” Most of the touring to promote that record happened the following year, when Elvis and Steve went on the road to present more stripped-down versions of the same songs.Īnd so it was that, with the exception of Night Five’s performance of “Toledo,” Elvis has been holding back on selections from the Bacharach/Costello songbook until Steve’s arrival, a decision that tonight’s show validated several times over. That show was the one that finally won her over.Īlso Read Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Night Ten: ‘If You Ask Me Nicely, I’ll Write You Up Well’īut that show was a cumbersome beast with many moving parts. I remember my mom was in town visiting and I was excited for her to see it so she would finally understand this “Elvis Costello” whose charms had, up to that point, eluded her. They played a handful of cities together, recruiting local orchestras to replicate the full sound of the record. In 1998, I was fortunate enough to see one of the few concerts that Burt Bacharach did with Costello at London’s Royal Festival Hall, shortly after the release of their album Painted From Memory. Their first tour together as a double act was commemorated in a limited-edition box set that quickly sold out, adorned with a sticker that said “Never Before, Never Again.” Thankfully, the sticker seems to have only been referring to the never-reissued box set, not the touring partnership. But that was also the year that the duo of “Costello & Nieve” fully emerged with its own distinct sound and style, surviving the trauma of the Attractions’ permanent dissolution. These two performers have been musical accomplices for nearly 46 years, since young Steve Nason auditioned to be part of Costello’s band, the Attractions, adding piano and keyboard overdubs to the classic single “Watching the Detectives” before the band even made its live debut.Īfter an intense first decade of recording and touring, Elvis & the Attractions broke up and (mostly) went their separate ways, only to briefly reunite for 1994’s Brutal Youth and split up again shortly after 1996’s All This Useless Beauty. It was immediately clear that Night Six of Costello’s 10-night stand at New York’s Gramercy Theatre had shifted into a new phase. Tonight’s show began with Elvis still in the wings and longtime collaborator Steve Nieve dramatically playing the piano intro to “Accidents Will Happen,” which many longtime fans first heard on 1979’s Live at Hollywood High EP. Catch up on his reports from Night One, Night Two, Night Three, Night Four, and Night Five here. Costello superfan (and comedian) Connor Ratliff is bringing us the highlights from every night of the historic run. Elvis Costello is performing 200+ songs from his 600+ songbook over 10 nights at the Gramercy Theater in New York from Feb.
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