Review: Elvis Costello & The Imposters at the Peace Center
Maybe the Peace Center wasn't the best place to see Elvis Costello & The Imposters after all.
Back in the greater greater Asheville area for the first time in a decade, the legendary artist seemed like a terrific fit for the Greenville venue on numerous levels. The July 7 show wasn't exactly the first rock gig in the performance arts space and, considering the predominantly Boomer crowd, the option (very strong suggestion?) to experience a revered song catalog from the comfort of comfortable seats made a lot of sense.
Practically everyone took advantage of the opportunity — but not everyone. (There's always someone…) About 10 rows back and 10 seats in from audience left, one fellow caught the holy punk rock spirit from Costello's opening selections and was inspired to ecstatic, full-body gyrations, standing and shaking it all about like an electrified Hokey Pokey. Though amusing to witness from afar, these antics likely annoyed those around him and proved frustrating for the pioneering attendee himself as his imploring of others to get up and join him went unrequited.
But based on Costello’s gratitude to the superfan, his own frequent encouragement of the crowd to give more effort, and other clues, the performer seemed to crave a full-on, raucous, standing show — until he didn't. Overcoming a scratchy sound mix, he and his four-piece backing band tore through “Mystery Dance,” “Watching the Detectives” (elevated by keyboardist Steve Nieve’s grimy melodica), and “Green Shirt” as if the tempo would never let up. However, perhaps disappointed by the seated yet vocal faithful, Costello soon made an odd decision that altered the course of the evening.
Just shy of the halfway point, the mood cooled with “I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down,” yet the frontman kept things exciting by going mobile with a wireless mic. Unfortunately, the seating design of the aisle-free listening room limited his circuit to the perimeter, and though Costello had practically everyone on their feet and excited, the fan-interaction segment quickly revealed deeper flaws in the overall show design. Throughout this Radio Soul! Tour, he’s typically slotted this number just before the concluding run of his greatest hits to capitalize on the rapt audience. But in Greenville, the song’s oddly early placement offered a quick blip of energy, then gave way to the mid-speed “Fish ‘n’ Chip Paper” and quickly took the set in a far less engaging direction.
Shifting to stage right and swapping electric instruments for acoustic ones, the band enhanced its sonic clarity through condenser mics as Costello perched on a stool with his right foot atop a small amp. The setup offered a neat way to share the singer/songwriter’s more intimate work, and it served “Deportee” and its welcome political commentary particularly well. But rather than get back to rocking after a brief detour, they stayed in that configuration a good four songs too long, during which Costello’s iconic, out-of-tune vocals, unaccompanied by amplified instrumentation or Pete Thomas’ rollicking drums, tested the limits of fandom.
This MTV Unplugged arrangement almost certainly would have worked as the approach for an entire show, including the tantalizing prospect of acoustic takes on The Big Hits. But once you let a man drive an automobile, you can’t expect him to go back to a horse-and-buggy. And aware of that allure, Costello & Co. returned to their rocking ways by the extremely drawn-out yet blessedly progressively more electric “I Want You,” which gave rise to some phenomenal dual shredding by Costello and his guest guitarist for the tour, Charlie Sexton. Still, in one of the show’s other big questionable moves, the frontman barely let Sexton shine and forced him to play second banana to Costello himself.
Despite this pecking order, the return to the ensemble’s initial rock ‘n’ roll setup gave way to a borderline unfair hit brigade of “Everyday I Write the Book,” “(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea,” “Radio Radio,” “(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” and “Pump It Up.” Even without seeming shoo-in “This Year's Girl,” the home stretch was easily the best part of the night and highlighted the greatness of Costello and his longtime collaborators. But it also amplified the inconsistency of the set and made one wish for a performance that celebrated that greatness without so many puzzling moments along the way.
(Photos by Bryce Lafoon)
