11.29.2018
ELVIS COSTELLO IS PLAYING LA: HERE ARE 3 TAKEAWAYS FROM HIS ANAHEIM CONCERT
The Orange County Register: Peter Larsen: November 29th 2018
Elvis Costello is a musical genius but also a mortal man subject to the vagaries of health and the occasional malfunctioning guitar.
And after more than 40 years in the spotlight, he’s still unstoppable. A total pro, Costello proved at the House of Blues in Anaheim on Wednesday that an imperfection or two, when combined with the strength and beauty of his music, can make a strong night of music even more powerful.Costello’s just-released “Now Look” is his first album of new material in five years, his first with his longtime band the Imposters in a decade, and his 30th studio record in 41 years. He’s been remarkably prolific, which you can sometimes take for granted, but were reminded earlier this year you really shouldn’t when he suddenly canceled a run of overseas shows after treatment for what was described as an aggressive but treatable form of cancer.
It was a relief then to see him on stage in Anaheim, with a second show at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, seeming fit as ever. When a fan shouted out a question about his health it was clear his sense of humor has recovered, too.“I’m feeling just fine,” Costello replied with a grin and a nod at his band. “They’re just being nice to me because they think I might die.”
Knock on wood that doesn’t happen for years, because at 64 he’s got the energy of a much younger musician, playing 28 songs over two-and-a-half hours to the delight of an audience that filled most of the venue. Even the technical glitches, “the gremlins,” as Costello called them, that plagued his guitar rig early in the show didn’t dampen fans’ enthusiasm and might have actually produced a more hits-laden set – more on that in a moment.