11.16.2018
ELVIS COSTELLO MAKES A WORTHY RETURN TO CHICAGO IN FAST-PACED VIC SHOW
Chicago Sun Times: Jeff Elbel: November 15th 2018
This summer, Elvis Costello canceled a string of European dates in order to recover from minor cancer-related surgery. He returned to the stage on September 15 at Chicago’s Riot Fest. Following an amiable how-do-you-do to the crowd in Douglas Park, Costello addressed the unasked question. “I’m doing fine, thanks,” he said as his loyal band, the Imposters, launched a rowdy “Pump it Up.”
Costello reprised that self-assessment at the Vic Theatre Wednesday night in Chicago, and reminisced about his prior visit. “It seems like just yesterday,” he said. Costello joked that those who searched among the punk upstarts listed on the Riot Fest poster found the Imposters’ name listed with fine print below it stating: “The old guys it’s still okay to love.”Last Friday, however, Costello canceled a performance in Connecticut due to throat trouble. The decision renewed health-related questions, but it was apparently a simple exercise of caution. If Costello’s doctor has told him to take it easy anytime recently, the singer ignored that advice during a bristling performance at the Vic that clocked in barely under two hours.
Without the restrictions of a festival slot and performing to his own crowd, Costello was at ease and engaging. His pride was apparent while introducing crafty material from new album “Look Now,” spinning stories behind the songs to help listeners connect.