Elvis Costello

Le Grand Rex, September 19, 2002.

It had been a long time since he rocked and rolled, but tonight, Elvis Costello seemed set on proving the wait would be worth it. The proof (along with justification, if it were needed, of the pricey tickets) wasn’t long coming. A rush on stage, and a non-stop sprint through three belting tracks, including the fabulous “I Don’t Want To Go To Chelsea”, saw the people in the stalls race to the stage, and the rest of us grinning madly.

From behind his rows of effects pedals and the many beautiful guitars, Costello looked as energetic as a boy on Christmas day with a bumper set of toys, only twice as happy. Over (count ’em) two and a half hours, we would be treated to sly humour and call-and-response audience participation. The whole band’s energy would battle for predominance with their talent - all to our benefit - and the no fewer than five encores made the crowd think Elvis would never leave the building!

Song after song, from much-loved hits like “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down” and “Watching The Detectives”, to new songs from his latest album, When I Was Cruel (including the marvellous “Spooky Girlfriend”). And that voice...! The first chapter of the show would end after about an hour with a superb playing of “Shipbuilding”, the classic Falklands protest song, with a note-perfect and chilling off-mike finale.

That there would be encores was never really an issue, but who would’ve betted on there being five? Moreover, anyone expecting the enthusiasm to tail off was in for a surprise, as there was still more to come, from the title track of the new album (a long, dark song with a fuzzy drum machine beat and haunting vocals) to “Alison”, “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding”, and (yes!) “Pump It Up”.

By the end, you had to wonder if you could take any more. But with the final exit and reassuring “see you again soon”, everyone knew that, when “more” is next on offer, we’ll be there.