  in time, you can turn these obsessions into careers Saturday nights urlLink Elvis Costello concert at the Fleet Pavilion was my third EC show, and for a lot of people, that would be more than enough. But like a lot of my favorite performers, Elvis is an eclectic sort, and every show so far has been different. In April 1987 I saw him perform a solo acoustic concert (as part of his 87 college tour) at the University of California at Irvine (it was during spring break of my senior year in high school and I was visiting a friend who lived in Los Angeles). I saw him again in June 1999 as the headlining act of the Guinness Fleadh Festival at Suffolk Downs, here in Boston (he was joined by his keyboard-playing partner-in-crime, the incomparable Steve Nieve). The show last Saturday was the first time Ive seen him perform with a full band, the Imposters (basically the Attractions with Davey Faragher replacing bass player Bruce Thomas), and I wasnt disappointed.
You could say that Elvis pulled a Van Morrison at the show  no chitchat, just the songs, often one after the other with no pauses. The uptempo triple-threat of Waiting For the End of the World, the rarely-played Beyond Belief and Radio Radio opened things up quite nicely. Our seats werent the best, but the Pavilion (a venue Id never attended before) had video screens presented on both sides of the stage, which seems cheesy when you hear it described, but is actually very convenient. Elvis dialed it down with the mid-tempo Sulky Girl, the merseybeat version of Everyday I Write the Book (which Ive heard him do as one of the bonus tracks of the Rykodisc version of Punch the Clock), and a cover of Mose Allisons bluesy Everybodys Crying Mercy --- which Elvis recorded for his covers project Kojak Variety and was probably included in the set for the line everybodys crying peace on earth / just as soon as we win this war. One of the few disappointments of the night followed, with the excellent Clubland, one of my favorite EC songs. This sophisticated, intricately arranged song was ruined by a rather muddy sound (as nice a venue as the Pavilion is, the sound quality could be improved).
Clown Strike, a song I was never too crazy about, seemed to sound better with the live vibe, and the pounding Complicated Shadows was a highlight, as was the classic Miracle Man. After Just About Glad, (the third song from Brutal Youth, which is a bit much to pull from that particular album), Elvis launched into a brand new song, the beautiful ballad Either Side of the Same Town. The slower tempo continued with I Cant Stand Up For Falling Down, a Sam & Dave cover from Elvis Get Happy!! album. Actually, he sang the first verse slow, then launched into a fast version, but the truth is, Sam & Daves original recording was indeed a ballad.
The noisy, fun Uncomplicated, a stretched-out, slower version of Watching the Detectives and a bluesy Pump it Up closed the set proper. New bass player Faragher may not have the fluid moves of Bruce Thomas, but proved a capable replacement and sang great back-up as well. Nieve was a bit low in the mix, but sounded great nonetheless. Drummer Pete Thomas is certainly not mellowing with age either. The first encore had an acoustic feel, as Elvis played a beautiful rendition of Deep Dark Truthful Mirror (nothing can top the original piano and brass arrangement, but this came damn close). He then tacked on a wonderful version of Smokey Robinsons You Really Got a Hold on Me, before going back into the original song.
Patsy Clines Sweet Dreams, which Elvis covered on Almost Blue (his 1981 country-western album) closed the first encore perfectly. The second encore focused more on the rowdy numbers. As Elvis and the band reemerged (with Elvis himself showing the crowd a Red Sox jersey with Costello 03 on the back), they tore into I Hope Youre Happy Now, Tear Off Your Own Head and the epic Man Out of Time before slowing things down with the anti-war Shipbuilding and then speeding back up again with an exhaustive rendition of (Whats So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (world affairs seemed to have a hand in the setlist).
Former Black Crowes vocalist Chris Robinson seemed like an odd choice for an opening act, but his short acoustic set was well-received and sounded great. He played acoustic guitar and was joined by another guitarist. My only major beef was that there was absolutely NO Elvis merchandise on sale.
Im a concert t-shirt guy  I pretty much always buy a concert shirt. The extremely unhelpful duo selling Robinsons merch at the show mumbled something along the lines of Elvis' management didnt think that it would be profitable. Huh? Folks, Ive been to shows where the acts made less money than the audience members, and they still sold stuff. Mike Keneally is one of the hardest-working, least rewarded artists in the universe and he sells three or four different t-shirts and several CDs at every show Ive seen. Youre telling me that Elvis Costello, a multi-millionaire, cant afford the dollar or two it takes to print up each shirt -- especially when they usually go for about thirty bucks? Okay, rant mode off. The show itself was excellent. 
