By Erin Lee
Elvis Costello is a trailblazer. The genre-defying artist was weaving elements of rock, blues, jazz, and classical music into his tunes long before it was popular to break those unspoken rules. He set the tone for contemporary bands like Radiohead and Green Day to experiment, both of whom cite Costello as an influence.
Going into an Elvis Costello show with setlist expectations is a fool's errand.
This man has a 32-album discography that spans 6 decades.
Two songs into his Friday night set at Jackie Gleason Theater at Fillmore Miami Beach, Costello confides in the audience: "I had someone ask me earlier to take a peek at the setlist. I told them to fuck off. Just kidding. Not really."
Costello's witty humor was showcased throughout the show's 24-song, 2.5-hour set. His storytelling onstage is always as engaging and fun as the storytelling in his songs.
He shared stories about his parents: Mom was a record sales assistant "who really knew jazz," he said. She met his dad working at the record shop counter.
Early in the show, house lights came on in the upper section. When the lights were turned down again, he quipped to the crowd: "Now I can talk dirty to ya."
Fans were treated to The Imposters jaunting through rousing renditions of old favorites like: "Radio, Radio," "Mystery Dance," and "Watching the Detectives," highlighted by powerhouse keyboardist Steve Nieve's signature sound filling the room, effortlessly enchanting the audience.
Further in the set, Costello informed us that from this point forward songs fell into one of two categories:
1). Songs with girls names in the titles
2). Songs about confectionery
We all shouted our approval as the band launched into the unreleased track "Like Licorice On Your Tongue."
He would continue the performance moving to an acoustic setup stage left, treating us to a beautiful cover of Italian duo Domenico Modugno and Gigliola Cinquetti's "Dio, come ti amo" segued into Chet Baker's "Almost Blue."
Costello then crossed to stage right, sitting at the piano for a spell before returning to center stage to absolutely shred his guitar on 2022's "Magnificent Hurt" from The Boy Named If.
This is the part of the review, dear reader, where I share a personal aside: I have been an Elvis Costello fan since I was a little girl in the 80s. I'm no fairweather radio hits fan. I'm a deep-cuts gal all the way.
That said, when the entire room joined in an Alison sing-along, it felt like an incomparable, magical sense of community.
The band sounded as tight as ever through the evening, an excellent accompaniment in every sense of the word. Every time there is an opportunity to see these seasoned pros play, I highly recommend you take it!
Elvis is alchemical. His shows are metallurgical experiments in tonal mining.