elvis costello / sondre lerche
thursday, april 7, 2005 • the paramount theatre, seattle wa • review by mike, photo from bbc


review: Since Janice works her booty off as a KEXP intern, she was rewarded with a pair of tickets to see Elvis Costello at the Paramount Theatre. We're not really big Elvis fans or anything--the only disc of his that we own is "Painted from Memory", his collaboration with Burt Bachrach--but we like him OK and, hey, free concert.

Opening act Sondre Lerche performed a solo set filled with shaggy, confident charm that was a big hit with many of the ladies in the house. I'm not really familiar with Lerche's recorded output, but live what struck me was how croony his vocals are and how his songwriting often borders on show-tuney.

When Elvis and his band took the stage, oh my goodness, I have never seen so many middle-aged white people be so excited and dance so badly. The group 2 rows directly in front of us (perhaps emboldened by pre-show martinis at some overpriced yuppie restaurant) decided that they wanted to be the only people in the audience to stand for the entire concert, so they completely blocked our view for the first few songs until a persuasive usher somehow convinced them to get back in their seats. (It was also amusing seeing the suit-and-tie/Dockers-and-golf shirt set in their "rock and roll" outfits, like hawaiian shirts or leather blazers.)

Elvis is currently in rocking mode, with a lean backing band ("the Imposters") of bass, drums, and keyboards. The set got off to a good start, with even old warhorses like "Radio, Radio" sounding fresh and immediate, like Elvis and his band could be playing in a small club instead of a good-sized theatre. The middle portion of the show got kind of boring, leaning more toward more recent material (I assume). I would like to know why, as they get older, so many once-innovative artists start embracing more and more traditional song styles and covering standards and oldies.

For the latter part of the set, Elvis tried to force some intimacy out of the large venue by plopping down on the edge of the stage for his medley of "Alison" and "Suspicious Minds" (by that other Elvis), and actually performing the next song from the orchestra pit area. And it worked; the audience actually got out of their seats and started gathering to stand around the front of the stage. I'm not sure if it was pre-planned or spontaneous, but the audience went for it, so way to go Elvis. The next portion of the show consisted of the band pounding through about half a dozen upbeat numbers without pausing, including "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love And Understanding?" and "Pump It Up". It was only at this point that the concert began to feel like a "greatest hits revue", even though the hits had been peppered throughout the set. Elvis and company concluded with an unfamiliar acoustic ballad, and that was it--2 hours, no encores.

For our taste the show was rife with too many classic-rock cliches, like guitar solos (thankfully sparing), false endings (so many false endings), and I don't know what the musical term for it is but you know when the band kind of holds on the next-to-last chord, bringing the guitar up, and then bringing it back down to hit you with that last sting? Lots of that. I will say that it was a good show from the standpoint of Elvis and band really hitting a home run with their target audience; I saw more excitement in that crowd than we typically do at most shows we go to. However, we are not really Elvis's target audience, and though I enjoyed portions of the show, I often found myself bored, fidgety, and on the verge of rolling my eyes. As we walked back to the car afterward, all I could say was, "Well, now I can say I've seen Elvis Costello in concert." (mike 04.05)

related links


• official elvis website
• the paramount