11.27.2019
ELVIS COSTELLO CLOSES OUT U.S. TOUR WITH AN ENERGETIC MILWAUKEE SHOW
OnMilwaukee: Bobby Tanzilo: November 27th 2019
Elvis Costello and The Imposters’ tour is called “Just Trust,” which might feel like a reference to Costello’s acclaimed and accomplished 1981 “Trust” LP, but the band’s energetic show at the Miller High Life Theatre on Tuesday night transported this writer back in time to a couple years after that.
In the summer of 1983, Costello and his then-band, The Attractions – which has the same lineup as The Imposters, with only a different bassist and the addition of two singers – were on tour for their record “Punch the Clock,” and performed in this very same space, which was then called the Milwaukee Auditorium.
It was the first major concert I saw after I moved to Milwaukee a couple months before. In fact, upon arriving, I found my ticket waiting for me, courtesy of my mom, and it was comforting to hear a familiar voice and see – if across a wide gulf of seats – a familiar face.
The current tour, which opened Oct. 23 in Charlottesville, Virginia, came to a close here in Milwaukee last night, and, while the word “Trust” is part of the tour’s name, it should not imply a focus on that great record.