State Theatre, Sydney, Tue 19 April 2011

[Jeremy Dylan]

YES!

http://www.chuggentertainment.com/tour/ ... s+Costello

[johnfoyle]

Tickets -

http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/venueart ... atetheatre

[grinderman]

If anyone gets the presale password, can they please post it on here? Presale only lasts for one day, and starts this Wednesday at midday; thanks!

[Adam from Oz]

Pre-sale is CHELSEA.

[grinderman]

Pre-sale is CHELSEA.

What a hero! Thanks! This is the Melbourne presale code, so for the folks in Sydney, it is "ELVIS". (How do they come up with these?

[Jeremy Dylan]

'ELVIS' is the password for the Sydney show, FYI.

[thepopeofpop]

There can't be many seats released for this, since it was back to about Row W after 5 minutes. Either that or a second show will be announced any minute.

Anyway, I'm not forking so much to sit at the back despite the much vaunted "pre sale" offer. What's the bet there'll be better seats if you're quick for the general sale? I saw Elvis twice last year so I'm not exactly desperate.

[Jeremy Dylan]

I'm going to this show whatever it takes, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled to the general public onsale. Or failing that, eBay.

[johnfoyle]

Besides 'Pope - who told listserv of his good fortune in winning tickets for this - is anyone else here going?

[Jeremy Dylan]

I will be there, in my purple jacket, in Row B Tuesday night. I can not wait!

[docinwestchester]

I will be there, in my purple jacket, in Row B Tuesday night. I can not wait!

Enjoy. You (and your fellow countrymen/women) definitely deserve it. Know any tapers?

[Jeremy Dylan]

Unfortunately no. But I will cross my fingers there is one in the crowd.

[thepopeofpop]

I'll be there, but I won't be rubbing shoulders with any Wiggles, as it turns out.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/mus ... 1deeu.html

The perfect host
Bernard Zuel
April 15, 2011

Elvis Costello switches between TV and touring.

More than one journalist is watching Elvis Costello on his chat-and-music television show, Spectacle, who has had what we might call a Marvellettes moment.

As Costello would know, one of the great songs by the early Motown band the Marvellettes was The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game. And seeing the man who spent decades as the scourge of the under-prepared, stupid or plain unlucky interviewer manoeuvring through interviews with fellow musicians (and the occasional president) who aren't always snappy, funny or illuminating does give a sense of ''now you know what it feels like, sunshine''.

The only problem is most of the time the interviews are really good, the joint performances even better and you get the feeling that as much as you're enjoying it, it probably isn't close to how much pleasure Costello is having chatting with the likes of Zooey Deschanel, Tony Bennett, U2 and Smokey Robinson, who wrote that Marvellettes song.


''Well, it's pretty great company,'' Costello says.

''And you're on one of the great stages of show business [the Apollo Theatre in New York], so you'd have to be very miserable if you didn't enjoy that.''

What's most enjoyable: talking to them, playing alongside them or tapping into their musical minds?

''I don't think I'm exactly tapping into their minds,'' he says breezily.

''One of the things I wanted to make clear to people coming in was that I wasn't shining a light in their eyes and getting them to confess some dark secret. Some of the people have said they felt more at ease because we do the same things. The only exception to that was [former US] president [Bill] Clinton because I haven't been the president of any country. Not yet.''

Given the parlous state of the recording industry, a TV show might seem a good alternative career for a 56-year-old musician whose biggest chart success was in 1979. Except that Costello is as busy today, musically, as he's ever been.

Last year he released his 33rd album, the bluegrass and country-tinged National Ransom, toured with the Brodsky Quartet, performed with orchestras and did a round of solo shows. Not long before, he'd been on the Police re-formation tour, played with Bob Dylan, written pieces for jazz bands, done backing vocals on a Jenny Lewis album and fathered twin boys with his wife of seven years, singer Diana Krall. As he said recently, ''I like not having to choose one thing or another. Life for me is all about movement.''

And Costello clearly still finds time to listen to new music.

''There is an awful lot of music that is in plain view so it's hard to avoid it completely but you don't need to hear every note,'' he says.

Speaking of being selective, with National Ransom songs on the roster, we're talking more than 400 tunes from which to choose when Costello and his band, the Imposters, play the State Theatre and Bluesfest. Maybe he needs to return to an old favourite from the '80s: the spinning wheel dotted with song titles, spun for a random choice of songs.

''Who knows?'' Costello says. ''So many people have done things of a game-show nature now that it would almost have to be an exploding wheel.''

ELVIS COSTELLO

April 19, 8pm, State Theatre, city, $119, 1300 139 588. Byron Bay Blues Festival, April 21-26, from $159. Costello plays on April 25 (sold out) and 26.

[johnfoyle]

http://streetcorner.com.au/news/showPos ... &mycomm=SC


18/04/2011

(extract)

It was all happening at Sydney Domestic Airport for citizen paparazzi, autograph hunters and the few photographers that bothered to turn up on luke warm rumours.

First cab off the rank was jazz legend Elvis Constello, who looked great in his brown leather jacket and dark sunglasses. He kept it brief but pleasant, and you could feel his warmness.

[Jeremy Dylan]

'Jazz legend'?

Can't wait for the gig tonight.

[bronxapostle]

enjoy the show...got to be a longer one than yesterday. i sure hope you get a killer set.

[Jeremy Dylan]

Hey, I would be more than happy with the set from Fremantle. That said, I am hoping for a marathon session that features a few more NR numbers. If anyone else is going, I will be the bloke in the purple jacket and white tie yelling out for Church Underground.

[johnfoyle]

Elvis gets 'Papped' - he seems to like it!


http://evarinaldiphotography.blogspot.c ... elvis.html

[thepopeofpop]

He played for two hours. 27 songs in all. The Secret Sisters were the support act and they were excellent.

I Hope You're Happy Now
Tear Off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)
High Fidelity
Uncomplicated
Either Side of the Same Town
Everyday I Write The Book
New Lace Sleeves
Watching The Detectives
Turpentine
Good Year For The Roses
Flutter and Wow
Spell That You Cast
Oliver's Army
(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea
Beyond Belief
Clubland
Stella Hurt

Encore:
Jimmie Standing In The Rain (solo)
Slow Drag With Josephine (with the Secret Sisters, but not the Imposters)
Why Don't You Love Me LiKe You Used To Do (with the Secret Sisters, but not the Imposters)
Luxembourg (sitting down in a chair, backed by the Imposters)
Monkey To Man
I Hope

2nd Encore:
National Ransom
Brilliant Mistake
Pump It Up
What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding?

(Thanks to Hughesy from Costello-L for correcting my setlist. I had all the right songs, but not necessarily in the right order).

Excellent arrangement of "Watching the Detectives" - all killer, no filler. Super punchy "Chelsea", super funky (!) "Everyday I Write the Book" with Elvis pulling out some lead wah wah stuff (!). Very different version of "National Ransom" - a different melody and chords in part of the song - it lost the "You Belong To Me Vibe", but it didn't sound like that track he had up on YouTube either.

I got The Man, and Steve Nieve, to sign my "National Ransom" LP cover.

So ... no "Alison", no "Red Shoes", no "Veronica". Lots of "Trust" and quite a bit of "Momofuku" as well as "National Ransom".

[migdd]

Excellent setlist! Thanks for posting, Pope.

[verbal gymnastics]

Was I Hope solo or with the Imposters?

[Jeremy Dylan]

I Hope was with the Imposters. Alison, Indoor Fireworks and I Want You were on the written set list but weren't played. I took notes and I'll post the full set list tonight when I get home.

I should be mentioned that the Secret Sisters opened and were awesome.

The two NR songs we got with the Imposters were very interesting. THE SPELL THAT YOU CAST sounded like a Beatles song. NATIONAL RANSOM had a very different feel and a cheerier melody. To be honest, I prefer the original version, but Davey's bass line was unreal.

The absolute highlights of the show for me were EC strapping on the Super 400 and playing MONKEY TO MAN (especially watching Pete's arms flying around during the bridge) and Slow Drag with the Secret Sisters.

After the show:

PETE: I saw you stand up before. Good fucking effort.
ME: Yes, I did, but an usher came over and told me if I wanted to stand I had to go to the back of the room.
PETE: So much for fucking rock'n'roll.

Somehow we got onto Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers. He said the rest of the band keep trying to get him on for a reunion. Pete's objection to this is that Phil Lithman (the singer) is dead.

[thepopeofpop]

Nice one Jeremy. I was distracted by Steve and Elvis and so didn't speak to Pete.

I've amended the set list I posted earlier (see above). I had all the right songs, but not all in quite the right order! The version you know see is the correct one

[bronxapostle]

glad you boys had a good night out. now pope, as per the NATIONAL RANSOM 1, 2, 3, 4 thread: have you heard the version from NYC 4-1 i'd dubbed NR No.3 (the attractions version)??? was the one played tonight again NEW compared to the one performed in NYC? big thanks, b