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To be quite honest, all I really wanna do is hug Elvis Costello.
I went to go see him live for the first time with Helen Bach, and feeling her excitement grow, I couldn't help but have my own do the same. I purposely didn't watch any live performances of him solo in order to be surprised, and only listened to his recorded stuff.
Getting into Northampton and seeing the Calvin was great; it's a typical hipstery town, so it's no surprise that Costello would be playing there. Bach wanted me to peek inside Elvis' bus and snap a picture, but unfortunately, it didn't happen.
The insanely small venue was filled with older couples and a handful of 20/30-somethings who'd probably also been to every Moz show in the area; it was that kind of psuedo-500 Days of Summer hipster look with the large glasses that dotted the crowd. I was the youngest one there, from what I could tell.
The signs on the stage said "On Air," "Detour," and "Requests." It was Elvis Costello's "Radio Show," and right before he came on, the "On Air" sign flashed a few times; it was happening.
He came onto the stage, amongst an array of guitars, and I was automatically worried I was going to see him in a bad mood, as I've heard is more common than not. However, he was the opposite. His charisma and enthusiasm was contagious. He kept thanking the crowd, and repeating "tonight is all about peace."
His guitar skills were phenomenal; I had no idea he could play like that. His finger plucking was insane, and it was consistently perfect. Not only did he hit every note, but any improv that he did during songs was lovely, and I was in awe. As if that wasn't impressive enough, his flawless vocals on top of it all was the icing on the cake.
When he played "Slow Drag With Josephine," I melted. It was definitely my favourite performance of the evening. Something about that song makes it one of his best to me, but live, it was even better. How he adjusted songs and altered them and made them almost unrecognisable throughout the set was also very interesting. Because he was all alone, he had full control over everything, and it was great.
When he turned on the "Requests" sign, it was adorable to see him trying to listen to everyone. The first request he did ended up being "Alison" — not necessarily one of his best, but he always does it live and it was still absolutely mindblowing.
Nothing will beat the memory of him singing an a capella verse of "Brother Can You Spare A Dime" after performing the tune. It gave me chills, and proved to me that he's one of the most brilliant performers because the way he did it was seamless. However, nothing was as seamless as his very last song — "Tripwire"/"Peace, Love and Understanding." I knew that he went from one to the other by reading setlists and hearing about it, but I had no idea how it would work. It was like the two songs were made for each other. It was an overwhelming sense of his true talent, with combining the old and the new, the classic and the contemporary. Though his style's changed over his years, it's an undeniable truth that he's one of the greatest musicians of all time.
Between the intimate setting, the pure joy radiating from Costello, and the feedback from the energetic and adoring crowd, I couldn't have asked for a better performance out of the man. This was the greatest I will ever see him, and it was beautiful, angelic, and perfect.
A man out of time? A man who is the best in his time.
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