Elvis Costello

September 8th 2009

Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Jermaine Jackson at the G.Q. Awards, Royal Opera House, London.

September 15th 2009

First show of Season Two of "Spectacle" recorded at the Masonic Temple, Toronto with Bono and the Edge.

Songs performed in "Mysterious Way" and the guests accompanied by Imposters for "Stuck In A Moment" and "Pump It Up/Get On Your Boots"

September 21st-25th 2009

Five episodes of "Spectacle" are rehearsed and recorded in five days at the Apollo Theater, Harlem.

These include another "Guitar Pull" featuring, Ron Sexsmith, Sheryl Crow, Neko Case and Jesse Winchester.

Songs performed include, Neko Case's, "Prison Girls", Sheryl Crows, "Leaving Las Vegas", Ron Sexsmith's rendition of Bob Dylan's, "Ring Them Bells" and a duet on "Everyday I Write The Book".

Jesse Winchester sings his new ballad, "Sham-A-Ling Dong Ding" and the entire ensemble performs his song, "Payday".

The season continues with a songwriter's circle, featuring, John Prine, Lyle Lovett and Ray Lamontagne, who come together at the end to perform, Townes Van Zant's "Loretta".

A unique rock and roll band is assembled, featuring Richard Thompson, Allen Toussaint, Nick Lowe and Levon Helm.

Songs performed include, Thompson's "Shoot Out The Lights", Allen Toussaint's "A Certain Girl" and Nick Lowe's solo rendition of "The Beast In Me".

Levon Helm is under doctor's orders to remain on vocal rest from recent strain, so Elvis Costello takes the lead vocal on the Hunter/Garcia song, "Tennessee Jed".

Ray Lamontagne returns to the Apollo stage for a second night to take the first verse of an ensemble rendition of the Robbie Robertson song, "The Weight".

The week concludes with a nearly four-hour taping with Bruce Springsteen.

Songs performed include, Costello and the Imposters' introductory, "She's The One" and Springsteen's solo renditions of "Galveston Bay", "American Skin" and "The River".

Costello performs Patti Sciala's "Black Ladder" and host and guest duet on the Sam and Dave song, "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down" and an impromptu acoustic version of Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman".

Bruce Springsteen is joined by Nils Lofren and Roy Bittan for an acoustic performance of "Wild Billy's Circus Story" and they augment the The Imposters for closing renditions of "Seeds", "The Rising" and "Radio Silence/Radio Nowhere/Radio Radio".

October 2009

Singapore debut at the Sun Festival is followed by a run of solo shows in Australia, including two concerts in both Melbourne and Sydney.

November 2nd 2009

Mary-Louise Parker interviews Elvis Costello for the last recorded show for Season Two of "Spectacle" at the Masonic Temple, Toronto

Songs performed with the Imposters include, "I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea" and "So Like Candy" plus solo renditions of "Town Cryer" and Bob Dylan's, "I Threw It All Away".

November 7th 2009

Encore guest vocal appearance on Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher" with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band at Madison Square Gardens

November 20th 2009

Performance of the original arrangement of "High Fidelity" with The Roots on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"

November 21st 2009

Guest vocal and guitar appearance with the Gregg Allman Band one "One Way Out" at "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson's" held at the Waldorf Astoria, New York City.

December 9th 2009

Season Two of "Spectacle" makes its broadcast debut on the Sundance Channel.

8th and 15th January 2010 – New York City

NPR broadcasts a two-part celebration in which Elvis Costello interviews regular host, Marian McPartland about her thirty years as the host of "Piano Jazz".

Together, they perform, "Love Is Here To Stay". Other songs recorded for broadcast include, "P.S. I Love You" and Dancing On The Ceiling" with Pete Malinverni at the piano and a solo rendition of a new song, "You Hung The Moon".

Among the excerpts re-broadcast from the series is part of the Tanglewood performance of the McPartland composition, "Threnody" with lyrics by Elvis Costello.

January 2010

Work on a Broadway musical project is abandoned after two years of development. The third such work to remain unfinished, it nevertheless yields a number of completed songs all of which remain unrecorded to this date but include the ballad, "Forbidden Nights".

29th January 2010 – Los Angeles

Music Cares Salutes Neil Young.

The contributing performers include Crosby, Stills and Nash, James Taylor, Ozomatli, Jack Black, Dave Matthews, Elton John and Leon Russell, Ben Harper, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Fogerty and Keith Urban, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams and Wilco

Costello performs a solo rendition of "Losing End (When You're On".

Before leaving Los Angeles, makes visit to the sessions for what will become "The Union", an album by Elton John and Leon Russell produced by T Bone Burnett.

After the session is over, Costello, Burnett and Russell repair to the piano booth and write what will become, "My Lovely Jezebel"

4th February 2010 – St. Paul Minnesota

"Prairie Home Companion" at the Fitzgerald Theatre and simulcast to movie houses all over the United States and Canada.

Featured in the skits, "Guy Noir" and "The Lives Of The Cowboys"

Songs performed with The Guy's All-Star Shoe Band include "That's How You Got Killed Before", "Poisoned Rose", "Sneaky Feelings" and the first public performance of a new song, "Jimmie Standing In The Rain"

7th February 2010

Benefit concert at the Winspear Center, Edmonton, Albert, Canada.

First performance of the new song, "The Stations Of The Cross"

18th and 19th February 2010

Hal Willner's Neil Young Project during the Cultural Olympiad of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Other performers include, Lou Reed, Joan As A Policewoman, Ron Sexsmith, Broken Social Scene, Eric Mingus, Ambrosia Parsley, Jenni Muldaur, Emily Haines and Teddy Thompson.

Performance of the ballad, "Love In Mind", with Rob Burger at the piano, in the first half before returning to the stage to lead the ensemble with electric guitar for "Cowgirl In The Sand".

Following a duet with Joan As A Policewoman on "Cinnamon Girl", Costello joins Lou Reed and James "Blood" Ulmer for a finale performance of "Fuckin' Up"

22nd February and 1st March 2010

Surprise guest appearances at the Station Inn, Nashville, Tennessee with the Time Jumpers.

Songs performed are "Good Year For The Roses" and "Big Fool Of The Year"

February-March 2010

T Bone Burnett produces nine days of sessions at Sound Emporium, Nashville. All the members of The Sugarcanes are featured in various groovy new combos along with Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve and Marc Ribot. Buddy Miller, Vince Gill and Leon Russell also make appearances.

Song recorded included, "National Ransom", "Jimmie Standing In The Rain", "For More Tears", "Stations Of The Cross", "Five Small Words", "Condemned Man", "A Slow Drag With Josephine", "I Don't Want To Go Home", "Church Underground", "You Hung The Moon", "Bullets For The New-Born King", "I Lost You", "Dr Watson, I Presume", "One Bell Ringing", "Poor Borrowed Dress, "That's Not The Part Of Him You're Leaving", "The Spell That You Cast", "A Voice In The Dark", "He's Got You", "My Lovely Jezebel" and "All These Strangers"

Two days of sessions later take place at Village Recorders, Los Angeles at which The Coward Brothers are accompanied by Davey Faragher and Pete Thomas. A small twelve-piece orchestra is also recorded. Songs recorded included, "Five Small Words", "Big Boys Cry" and "I Hope"

9th March 2010

Surprise encore appearance at "Song In The Key Of London" at the Barbican.

Chris Difford produced this evening of songs with London theme.

Performers include members of The Blockheads, Robyn Hitchcock, Chas Smash and Suggs from Madness, Jools Holland, Green Gartside and Glenn Tilbrook.

Songs performed are "Hoover Factory" and "London's Brilliant Parade", while the Mystery Jets' Blaine Harrison sings, "Man Out Of Time"

Hitchcock, Tilbrook and Costello lead an all-cast finale of Ray Davies' "Waterloo Sunset"