Elvis/Il Sogno show, Philadelphia , Sept. 8 '07

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:55 am

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/feature ... _Mann.html

Mega Mann
More pop acts packed into its music schedule

By JONATHAN TAKIFF

takiffj@phillynews.com 215-854-5960

Apr. 17, 2007

( extract)

REMEMBER HOW red hot the contemporary music schedule used to be each summer at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts?

Then a rival shed, the Sony Blockbuster Entertainment Center (now called the Tweeter Center) opened on the Camden waterfront in 1995 and lured away almost all of the big contemporary music acts with its larger capacity and fatter paychecks.

Brother, did trouble ever follow in the wake. Without that magic combination of "Bach and Rock" - the pop shows supporting the Mann's mainstay Philadelphia Orchestra series - our lovely Fairmount Park facility almost went bankrupt.

But in recent years, the West Philadelphia venue has been on the comeback trail under the steadying hand of president and CEO Peter Lane. The center diversified its arts and cultural programs to tap new audiences and new funders, "with everything from Shakespeare to opera to an expanded program for children," Lane said.

In the past two years, Lane has pushed through $15 million in capital improvements to spruce up the looks and user friendliness of the 30-year-old facility. This year, the most notable upgrades are the Field Education and Outreach Center, plus new restrooms and concession stands (to complement new food vendor Culinart).

And, lo and behold, even the pop stars are back in force for the 2007 summer season, starting June 1 through Sept. 22, with significant help from outside presenters Live Nation/Electric Factory Concerts (owner of the rival Tweeter Center!) and AEG Live, plus local promoters BRE Presents and Al Edmondson and a consortium of other performing arts centers working with the Mann.

According to Lane, some acts chose the Mann because it's the better place, sonically and aesthetically, for them to work out with a big, lush orchestra.

That's how we'll be taking in Aiken, the Decemberists (July 15) and Elvis Costello (Sept. 8, doing up hits and bits from his oratorio "Il Sogno"). Each will perform with a huge Mann Festival Orchestra.

MOJO · Post by **MOJO** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 11:25 pm

Excellent. I'll be in Phila. around that time. I love the Mann Music Center... many good memories of shows and parties on the side of the hill.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 3:12 pm

Tickets for Elvis at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia on Sept 8 go
on sale May 11 at 10:00 EDT

http://www.manncenter.org/calendar/view.asp?id=10046201

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Thu May 24, 2007 1:00 am

http://www.citypaper.net/articles/2007/05/24/september

Ultimate Summer Fun Guide: September
September-time rolls.

Published: May 23, 2007

(extract)

Saturday, Sept. 8

I'd argue that Elvis Costello, who appears at the Mann a month to the day after that BublÃ© guy, is the modern-day Sinatra. He's worked with everybody. He doesn't give a shit about audience expectations. And the motherfucker can croon like he's dying of a bullet wound. The Mann Music Center, http://www.manncenter.org. â€”DS

StrictTime · Post by **StrictTime** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 4:51 pm

This is going to be my very first Costello concert experience.

. Unorthodox, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Well, just felt like sharing.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 4:55 pm

Welcome StricTime .

I envy you ; you'll get to see a Costello show that I haven't seen!

I still don't get the 'Elvis 'n The Dancing Hotdogs ' image - is it a Philly thing?

StrictTime · Post by **StrictTime** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 5:03 pm

If dancing hotdogs is a Philly reference, I don't get it. Maybe it's a reference to the vendors, or the dancing tub of popcorn, soda, et al that they used to show at the movies. 'Let's all go to the snack bar...' Then again I'm not in Philly, just outside of it.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 6:37 pm

Should be dancing cheesesteaks!

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 3:41 am

johnfoyle wrote:I still don't get the 'Elvis 'n The Dancing Hotdogs ' image - is it a Philly thing?

It was supposed to be Eddie and the Hot Rods but somehow it got misheard as Elvis and the Hot Dogs.

StrictTime · Post by **StrictTime** » Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:13 pm

Setlist

All This Useless Beauty
Still Too Soon To Know
The Girl In The Other Room
The Birds Will Still Be Singing
Still
Green Shirt
Shipbuilding
Veronica
Almost Blue
Watching The Detectives
My Flame Burns Blue
She
God Give Me Strength
I Still Have That Other Girl
Accidents Will Happen
The Scarlet Tide
Couldn't Call It Unexpected No.4 (off-mike)

My first Costello show. Overall I was so chuffed to be there that he could have flipped us all of and did armpit-farts for an hour and I would have still been saying "Oh my god that was Elvis Costello." However, all I really wanted to hear was Couldn't Call It Unexpected, and so I was quite pleased. And hearing it live made me like Still Too Soon To Know, which I usually avoid like the plague. Shipbuilding was ace.

And No Coffee Table · Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:22 am

Thanks for the report. Was this preceded by Il Sogno suite, or was that the whole show?

I believe that's EC's first public performance of "The Girl In The Other Room."

EarlManchester · Post by **EarlManchester** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:13 am

StrictTime wrote:My first Costello show. Overall I was so chuffed to be there that he could have flipped us all of and did
armpit-farts for an hour and I would have still been saying "Oh my god that was Elvis Costello." However,
all I really wanted to hear was Couldn't Call It Unexpected, and so I was quite pleased. And hearing it live
made me like Still Too Soon To Know, which I usually avoid like the plague. Shipbuilding was ace.

Was Steve Nieve there, or just EC with the orchestra?

Lester Burnham · Post by **Lester Burnham** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:21 am

EarlManchester wrote:
StrictTime wrote:My first Costello show. Overall I was so chuffed to be there that he could have flipped us all of and did
armpit-farts for an hour and I would have still been saying "Oh my god that was Elvis Costello." However,
all I really wanted to hear was Couldn't Call It Unexpected, and so I was quite pleased. And hearing it live
made me like Still Too Soon To Know, which I usually avoid like the plague. Shipbuilding was ace.
Was Steve Nieve there, or just EC with the orchestra?

Steve was there. Good show overall, very different to his rock show I saw back in May, but I expected that. A lot of people didn't, and so they talked through a lot of the set, which pissed me off. Also, someone kept shouting for 'Alison', but changed it to 'Diana'. Hm.

The rearranged 'Still Too Soon To Know' was great, as was 'Green Shirt'.

jmm · Post by **jmm** » Sun Sep 09, 2007 12:10 pm

It was good to see Steve at this show and having him there certainly added musically as always. Beforehand had a chance to chat and he said there may be live performances of WTTV next year - a little vauge but encouraging.

The show itself was good. Il Songo suite vs. the entire piece actually left me wanting more - not the feeling I'd had when having seen the entire thing.

Highlights for me were All This Useless Beauty, Still, and what EC said was "an arrangement I started on Monday, printed on Thursday and we're playing tonight" of Accidents Will Happen. EC seemed to be having fun. His voice was a little off and he struggled a bit through Almost Blue and Shipbuilding but it wasn't like the trouble he had in London.

Looking forward to the Dylan support shows - amazing the diversity to have seen the show with Rosanne Cash, the rock & roll shows, with AT et al, this orchestral show and then solo all in the course of just a few months. EC is certainly NEVER boring!!

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 12:58 am

http://bocapella.livejournal.com/119141.html

bocapella blogs -

( extract)

Last night, I went to the Mann Center to see Elvis Costello and the Mann Festival Orchestra.

I'm not sure why rock musicians are fascinated with composing classical works...Joe Jackson, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, they've all done them...so has Elvis Costello...he came out at showtime to say that he would be back in a little bit, but that the orchestra was going to play parts from his composition, Il Sogno...now, I was pretty much expecting to see something similar to My Flame Burns Blue, an album recorded with a full orchestra that featured orchestra arrangements of Elvis' classic songs...and that was, in fact, what played out after the opening pieces...sure, I knew pretty much all of the songs he did, "Veronica", "She", "Green Shirt", "All This Useless Beauty" and more, but they were not rocking or jazzy so much as they were very pretentious...

When did Elvis Costello become like a 'respected musician' kind of guy?...the same goes for David Byrne and John Doe...what happened to my punk rock and roll?...oh well...

At least his voice is still pretty good, and he has a nice sense of humor that shone through in the stories he told (also, longtime sideman Steve Nieve played piano and hooter)...

Brian_Wallace · Post by **Brian_Wallace** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 2:05 pm

I was at this show and it was excellent. Could you expect any less from Mr. Costello?

Anyhow, two things.

1.) During the intermission, I joked with the person I was with that if I were to arrange a Costello song for an orchestra, I'd do "Green Shirt." I told her I'd just tell the orchestra to go "Duh-duh-duh-duh" when I told them to. When he did "Green Shirt" later, I felt like a seer.

2.) Eight or nine years ago, Elvis played the Tower Theatre (another amazing show, he must have done over thirty songs) with Steve Nieve. He also closed that show with an off-mike version of "Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4." (He closed with an off-mike version of "Favourite Hour" about a year later at the Tweeter Center.) Unfortunately, some drunk idiot shouted out "We love you Elvis" in the middle of it which didn't ruin it but spoiled the memory. On Saturday night, no drunk idiots shouted anything during "Couldn't Call It Expected No. 4." However, earlier someone did should out for "Two Little Hitlers."

Much thanks to Robertta if she's reading this,

Brian

pophead2k · Post by **pophead2k** » Mon Sep 10, 2007 6:02 pm

Brian, I was at the Tower Show as well back in the day and I will attest to the sheer 'amazingness' of that show. I got my Costello/Nieve box set signed by both guys that night and it is my prized possesion. When Katrina was bearing down on New Orleans, after my photo albums and a couple of guitars, that was the first thing in the car!

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Tue Sep 11, 2007 6:17 am

Brian_Wallace wrote:1.) During the intermission, I joked with the person I was with that if I were to arrange a Costello song for an orchestra, I'd do "Green Shirt." I told her I'd just tell the orchestra to go "Duh-duh-duh-duh" when I told them to. When he did "Green Shirt" later, I felt like a seer.

You should come onto this site more - you'd have known he's been doing an arrangement for this for over a year. I saw him in September 2006 in Amsterdam and he did it there - with Steve on the typewriter.

Mind you, as long as you impressed her...