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Elvis Costello is a writer and part-time musician who made a number of records in the 20th Century, some of which are still remembered today.
He was born in London and raised there and in Liverpool.
Costello is the composer or lyricist of over six hundred published titles, including fifteen songs co-written with Paul McCartney and renowned collaborations with Allen Toussaint, the Brodsky Quartet and T Bone Burnett.
Costello's songwriting alliance with Burt Bacharach, began in 1995 with the song, "God Give Me Strength", which led to the 1998 album, "Painted From Memory", before their work was collected in 2023, on the four-album set, "The Songs Of Bacharach & Costello".
Elvis Costello songs have been recorded by Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Chet Baker, Dusty Springfield, Solomon Burke, George Jones, Linda Ronstadt and Bjork, while among the artists with whom he has written songs are Loretta Lynn, Carole King, Rosanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson and his wife, Diana Krall.
Working purely as a lyricist, Costello has provided words for the music of Billy Strayhorn, Oscar Peterson and for twelve Charles Mingus compositions and as a composer, set twelve unpublished lyrics by Bob Dylan.
2024 will see the opening of "A Face In The Crowd", Sarah Ruhl's stage adaptation of the Budd Schulberg story for which Elvis Costello composed the songs.
"A Face In The Crowd" will open at the Young Vic in London on INSERT DATE, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and produced by Adam Kenwright.
Elvis Costello is the author of "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink", a more than six-hundred page memoir which has been translated into six languages. He has received a range of awards over his 45 year old career of which the induction into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame is probably the most significant.
Although he holds two honorary doctorates in music - one from the University of Liverpool and another from the New England Conservatory- Elvis Costello is known for playing the guitar with almost no regard for common sense.
Costello currently performs with The Imposters; his long time companions, drummer, Pete Thomas and pianist, Steve Nieve, bassist of twenty-three years standing, Davey Faragher and their special guest, Texas guitarist, Charlie Sexton.
What can you say about an artist and his bandmates after you've seen them more than two dozen times over 20+ years.......just that they continue to amaze! The concert tribute to imperial bedroom was unreal! Most of the hits were played and done so with the energy and passion as you have come to expect. Wish I could see them again this year!!! Elvis come back soon!
Elvis Costello and The Imposters were terrific - Steve on keyboards, Pete on drums and Danny on bass were perfect. Elvis played guitar, piano and bass. All are talented musicians. The voice on Elvis is amazing. Wonderful show with plenty of material to choose from - nothing disappointed. So very glad I had the opportunity to go. Favorite part? Elvis shared details of what his life was like at the time he wrote each song. THANK YOU!!
Shame on me to think, like many do, that Elvis would play his old stuff. He does really like his own voice, and lovse the crooning songs. Pretty boring material except for a hand full of songs. His pitch was often off key. The sound mix was terrible. His lyrics were barely legible. The backing vocals were not much better,
this was probably my 20th time seeing elvis costello and his shows are always surprising. the addition of two background singers really fleshed out the tunes from "imperial bedroom", the focus of this tour. elvis never hesitates to tinker with the arrangements and tempos of even his biggest hits, which makes for some really interesting moments. highlights included "allison," played with only an acoustic guitar and with very close support of his backing vocalists sharing a single mic. the songs from "bedroom" were fantastic, with my personal favorites being "you little fool" and town crier." awesome, awesome show!
So Elvis Costello played a 2 1/2 hour concert. I think someone forgot to tell him he's not in his twenties anymore. He came out wearing all black with a red fedora hat. Elvis Costello is cool. His band was a guitar player, keyboard/piano, drummer, and 2 back up singers. He himself is an excellent guitar player. Off to the side was a case full of guitars hung inside like my coats are in a closet. And there was 1 guy whose job it was to hand them to him. If for any reason guitar giver could not fulfill his duties I as runner up would take over-a girl can dream. Great moments tonight were hearing Accidents Will Happen. Watching The Detectives was everything I hoped it could be with the stage lights low and flashing on the screen above posters of old, gritty detective movies. The place got the feel of an old time jazz club with him crooning Almost Blue. Alison got a softer personal touch when the band left and he with the two back up singers sang a cappella down stage. I was sad that he did not sing Veronica but I did get Everyday I Write The Book. The second encore of the night finished it with Pump It Up and (What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding. Another MTV Generation dream has been met. And in case I forgot to tell you...Elvis Costello is cool.
Here, up North, we only get to see Elvis Costello once every few years! Prior this past weeks show in Albany, NY at The Palace Theatre, he was here in 2013, then prior to that opening sets for Bruce Springsteen & The Police. . . As one who is a teacher, my grade is A+
Elvis Costello was not in the best of voice for his show at Albany's Palace Theater Wednesday, October 26. Costello, who is vocally challenged to begin with (as in great rock voice though not great voice, a la Bob Dylan), was battling through hoarseness most of the night. Fortunately, this is NOT what I will remember the show for. What I will remember this show for is how he centered the show around his album Imperial Bedroom, perhaps his most Beatlesque/baroque offering ever, and made those tunes absolutely ROCK in their live versions. These represented a new/different take on some great songs, and I found them revelatory. Add in a smattering of old Elvis classics, and this was a great show all around. The Imposters (his erstwhile Attractions minus one) remain a great band. As someone who has loved Elvis since his late 70's heyday, it is great to see that he remains a vital artist making interesting music in his 60's and not just recycling the old stuff. Well done.
Elvis Costello with his veteran band played a varied set that had some dancing in the isles , And others tapping their feet...The show just over 2 hours spanned his full career , included hits like Watching The Detectives .His a Capella version of Allison with his 2 back up singers was a special moment.Elvis was proficient and entertaining in The telling of The back stories of many of his sings The show ended with some classics to standing ovations...A good time ....
I bought tickets as a birthday present to my boyfriend -- I have never been to an Elvis concert (neither had my boyfriend) so I have no prior point of comparison -- but we thought everything sounded slightly off -- maybe it was the sound system.... Also while I liked the look of the two backup singers I didn't like their singing ( this was highlighted by a stark and screechy version of Allison/my aim is true with just Elvis on stage and the two singers standing in a huddle sharing the mic -- others in the audience seemed to like it but I honestly did not at all). So again, I am not an aficionado and didn't know most songs, and had a feeling of disappointment -- on the upside Elvis was quite funny and charming and I do think the whole band are talented musicians it just isn't a great show or was perhaps an off night.
I've seen Elvis in concert A LOT--with The Attractions, The Imposters, The Confederates (King of America) and of course solo. In this show he does essentially the entire Imperial Bedroom album and a lot of other songs from that early time period. The vocal arrangements were fantastic and Steve Nieve was unbelievable. If you have a chance to go to this show, GO! DONT MISS IT!
Featuring most of the songs from the mighty Imperial Bedroom, the show was much fun. That the sound men had no idea how badly they were doing their jobs us another matter. From the left side of the house you couldn't discern lyrics or keyboards. Move to the right side and you heard everything in a puddle of mud that left even seasoned EC show goers scratching their heads. Just a terrible night sound wise.
SO happy to hear Imperial Bedroom. I had no idea he would be playing it all. I was just hoping for one song!
The Imperial Bedroom concept was great, the Imposter band lineup was great and Elvis is one of my musical heroes, but the first half of this concert was beyond disappointing. The mix was terrible, with a muddy base overwhelming the sound and Elvis' guitar sounding scratchy & tuneless, but the worst part was his singing which was out of tune and out of time. It was as if he could not hear the band at times. At one point I thought he had fallen off the wagon and was stoned, but I think the mixing desk might have been mostly to blame. About half way through, the show started to come together led by some solo songs that were very moving and then when the band came back it was as if the sound engineer woke up and it started to sound better (still not very good) and the emotional energy Elvis was then putting in made up for the crap sound, ending with a glorious version of What's so funny about Peace Love & Understanding... In this digital audio era, there is no excuse for poor sound quality. Elvis deserved better as did we!
Elvis Costello is one of my favorites and Imperial Bedroom is my all-time favorite Elvis Costello album. So, I guess I was the target market when EC announced that he would be featuring Imperial Bedroom during this current tour. For me, the show did not disappoint. I can understand the disappointment or lack of enjoyment for the casual fan and/or casino 'comp' attendee. That being said, if you love Imperial Bedroom and other songs from that era, you will not be disappointed. On the other hand, If hearing rarities like , Moods For Moderns, You'll Never Be a Man, Shot With His Own Gun, Seconds Of Pleasure, or almost every song from Imperial Bedroom, leaves you cold, then best not go. Also, take it with a grain of salt when some 'one star' reviewers refer to Imperial Bedroom (early 80's) as 'his new album'.
The band was WAY too loud for a venue of this size. You could barely hear Elvis singing over the music. My ears were ringing like I'd just seen The Who in '74. To make matter worse, I'm tall and the seats in this old, worn out theater must have been built for tiny people. Never again.
Elvis Costello at the Orpheum Theatre was GREAT!. I have been an elvis fan since the late 70s, and have seen him on multiple tours. This concert was heavily weighted to his 'imperial bedroom' album. It is a great album so the baseline was good. He did do several of his biggest hits that are not from that record like; allison, every day i write the book, pump it up, watching the detectives. He still has a great voice. His band and back up singers were right on time as well. when you follow an artist for a long time, of course you get your favorites and Elvis did not disappoint by playing a selection of his big hits. but what makes me coming back is that he changes up his shows, you never really know what kind of show you'll see. I've seen him do an acoustic show, a 'spin the wheel' free for all, etc etc. I will always go back because i know the next show won't be like the last, even if he DOES 'watching the detectives' etc. The old favorites just show in relief how much he evolves.
I've seen Elvis Costello numerous times, and I love how each tour is different, with this one being no exception. The "theme" (if you could call it that) was centered around what is arguably one of his best albums, Imperial Bedroom, which really didn't generate a lot of hit singles, but is a true high point of his extensive catalogue. He mentioned that he hadn't played many of the songs live before (at least for a while) so it was a real thrill to hear them. He also dug deep for other songs in the set list, with a smattering of B-sides and bonus tracks. The band was also top-notch, with Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas still in top form, and a wonderful pair of backup singers who shone on a great version of "Alison" and "Every Day I Write the Book" (which is a song I know he hates, but sounded great). I did hear a bit of griping after the show about the set list, since it wasn't quite a "greatest hits" show, though I think he peppered it with enough familiar tunes to keep most people happy.
I am a huge Costello fan and read the reviews of this tour prior to purchasing tickets because I wasn't interested in an acoustic show. The reviews indicated he played most of his hits with a few songs from Imperial Bedroom, which I am not familiar with. I knew literally 3 songs in the whole show. And, his voice was flat the entire time. This was a bucket list item for my guest, and I felt just awful that it was completely not enjoyable. The crowd sat the entire time as well which didn't help the atmosphere.
In a word " Awesome"! Loved hearing the material from the new album plus older songs like "Alison". His voice and talent still is strong and true!
I always love seeing Elvis Costello. This was no exception. He was top notch. Problem I had was the seats I had, which where found in the 'balcony' had terrible acoustics. Sounded like I was in high school auditorium.
