Elvis Costello delights at YouTube Theater with songs from his past, present, and future

Elvis Costello had a prime astatine the decorativeness of “(I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea,” a crowd-pleasing aboriginal deed played precocious successful his amusement astatine the YouTube Theater successful Inglewood connected Saturday.

Should helium blaze consecutive up into “Radio, Radio,” an adjacent bigger instrumentality favorite, hovering retired determination yet to beryllium played successful his set? Or instrumentality a hard near into “Magnificent Hurt,” the archetypal azygous of his forthcoming medium “The Boy Named If,” and a opus galore successful the assemblage wouldn’t cognize by words oregon music.

It’s benignant of a mendacious premise, though, due to the fact that if you cognize Elvis similar we cognize Elvis, you cognize determination was ne'er immoderate prime astatine all. For successful a vocation filled with moments of unpredictability, Costello fans tin beauteous overmuch expect the unexpected and that the mercurial singer-songwriter volition caput anyplace helium wants to go.

And implicit the people of 26 songs and astir two-and-a-half hours, Elvis Costello and the Imposters delivered a terrific nighttime that time-traveled crossed Costello’s songbook, past, present, and future.

The amusement opened with a cover, Nick Lowe’s “Heart of the City,” and past connected to “Green Shirt,” an medium way from 1979’s “Armed Forces,” with its rat-a-tat-tat snares, swirling organ fills, and paranoid vocal.

Next up, the heavier stone consciousness of “No Flag,” a opus from 2020’s “Hey Clockface,” past the soulful groove of “Either Side of the Same Town,” and, well, you tin spot however this eclectic acceptable is shaping up, yes?

Costello tin easy leap astir his catalog successful portion acknowledgment to the spot of the Imposters, which are the longest-running and champion lineup of his 45-year career. That’s not a dis astatine the Attractions of his earliest albums, either, since the Imposters are mostly the aforesaid musicians.

The Imposters see Attractions Steve Nieve connected keyboards and Pete Thomas connected drums, with Davey Faragher the group’s bassist. And for this autumn tour, the set is stronger inactive with the summation of guitarist Charlie Sexton, who has been a regular portion of Bob Dylan’s workplace and touring set successful caller decades.

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Sexton’s beingness was felt passim the amusement successful subtle and evident ways. Costello whitethorn beryllium an underrated guitarist — helium plays precise good wrong the styles helium astir often works — but the Austin-raised sideman brings a antithetic benignant to the mix, connected show aboriginal successful the acceptable connected songs specified arsenic the jazz-blues of “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” oregon his solo connected the earlier Costello favourite “Mystery Dance.”

The caller album, “The Boy Named If (and Other Children’s Stories),” won’t beryllium retired until aboriginal 2022, but implicit the people of this period oregon truthful connected the roadworthy Costello has steadily added songs from the grounds to his unrecorded show, playing six of its 13 tracks connected Saturday.

After a long, humorous instauration to the themes of the caller worldly — during which Costello imagined himself arsenic a 7-year-old successful confessional that looked similar a Tardis clip machine, confessing to adultery portion drinking Irish whiskey with the clergyman — helium dove into a brace of songs from that album, “Penelope Halfpenny” and the rubric track.

Both were well-received by fans, adjacent though these were their section unrecorded debuts; the record, again, won’t beryllium retired for months, and astatine times, particularly connected “The Boy Named If,” the dependable premix muffled his voice, obscuring the lyrics.

That occasional dependable contented would beryllium the lone insignificant flaws successful the night. Did helium play the country-ish tune “Indoor Fireworks” much, overmuch slower than the mentation connected “King Of America” I similar truthful much? Sure, but mixing things up is portion of his thing, I’ll travel him there.

And mixing it up is wherever immoderate of the delights are found. “Uncomplicated,” with its pounding rhythms gathering louder and louder abruptly dropped a snippet of “Shotgun” by Junior Walker & the All Stars.

Costello mentioned his caller merchandise “Spanish Model,” a re-recording of 1978’s “This Year’s Model” with Spanish-language vocals by Latin euphony singers specified arsenic Juanes oregon La Marisoul of Los Angeles’ La Santa Cecilia, who was astatine the amusement connected Saturday.

He past introduced the tune “Brilliant Mistake” arsenic the Cuban Model version, and played it successful an statement befitting that land nation’s philharmonic heritage, portion besides blending it with the jazz modular “The Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”

Other highlights included the Costello-Burt Bacharach fig “I Still Have That Other Girl,” played arsenic a duet with lone Nieve’s soft arsenic accompaniment for Costello’s beardown vocal.

There were, of course, overmuch much acquainted songs successful the acceptable arsenic well. “Watching The Detectives” showed up midway done the show, its ominous, debased guitar riff and Nieve’s organ fills instantly recognizable.

When “Radio, Radio” yet did amusement up, 20 songs into the night, it drew an adjacent bigger effect from the crowd, arsenic did the classical lovelorn ballad “Alison.” That second number, introduced by Costello arsenic “a opus I don’t adjacent cognize however to play,” was peculiarly beauteous acknowledgment to Sexton’s lyrical guitar part, a benignant that, information beryllium told, isn’t successful Costello’s toolbox.

“Farewell, OK,” was the sixth and last caller opus from “The Boy Named If,” and I’d beryllium consenting to stake determination were galore successful the assemblage who didn’t cognize they didn’t yet cognize this one, fixed however seamlessly its benignant acceptable into the vintage Costello sound.

Finally, “Pump It Up” did precisely what its rubric suggests — the 1 happening his shows sometimes deficiency is simply a standing-up-and-dancing benignant of vigor — earlier “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” Costello’s accustomed closer, wrapped up a precise satisfying nighttime of delights, expected oregon not.