Exclusive report/ekskluzivno izvješće: Elvis Costello & The Imposters @ Glasgow – the king in Scotland/kralj u Škotskoj
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The king in Scotland
Outstanding performance by one of the most prominent pop rock authors on his “Just Trust” tour, which is a rich collection of great songs from the 1970s to the present.
Elvis Costello is a great author, songwriter and musician who has been creating extraordinary works for over forty years, most notably musical ones, trying out various genres and forms of artistic expression. Whether it’s a full-blooded new wave, ballet music, movie music or the latest in a musical, whether it’s rock, pop, country or any other form of popular music, whether it’s collaborating or solo, whether it’s accompanying Attractions or Imposters, Confederates or someone else – the result is almost always excellent. I started listening to it right from the album “Trust” and the opportunity to see it in my favorite quartet form was not to be missed.
Specifically, he was supposed to appear in Croatia relatively recently, but (I talked to him after the concert and about it), due to illness, that part of the tour was canceled, so there was no other way but to try to “catch” him somewhere else. From what he’s done over the years, and if we add to that recent things like biography, work on a musical, or the latest Grammy Award-winning album, “Look Now”, it was absolutely worth it to see him in Scotland. Or anywhere else. I had the opportunity to see him live fifteen years ago in Birmingham (Simphony Hall) and that performance was fantastic, but this one was even better for me.
Before him at the beautiful Armadillo Hall in Glasgow, a half-hour performance introduced us to Ian Prowse, a Liverpool singer-songwriter who, with the help of a violinist and keyboardist, and his voice and guitar, was a very good introduction to what came next. Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher this time enhanced with Kitten Kuroi and Briana Lee opened their performance with songs from “The Trust”. “Strict Time” and “Clubland” still sound solid, hit, melodic and great today. Like, after all, “Green Shirt” and “Accidents Will Happen” from “Armed Forces.” The sequel belongs to the slow-burning “Watch Your Step” and then everything accelerated with the soulful “Tokyo Storm Warning”. And it was already clear to everyone why Kitten and Briana were on stage. Added vocal and arrangement value. Motown colors and R&B voice pearls emerge from their mouths, souls and hearts. We return to another album, “This Year’s Model,” with the furious “I Don’t Want to Go to Chelsea,” so we move on to “Unwanted Number,” one of the best things with “Look Now.” The visual and video accompaniment of the entire concert was made in the style of the last album and with the very powerful text messages and views that appeared on the screens, the combined older photos make the perfect whole.
Extensive reggae evergreen “Watching the Detectives” rolled darkly in the obscur portion of the show. It’s dark and beautiful at the same time. And then the piano (Elvis) and the painless “Good Year for the Roses”. Well, I would say “dark black”, not “Almost Blue” … “A Face In the Crowd” pulls us out from the bottom and announces Costell’s musical, and judging by his earlier works for film and theater there is no doubt that and get this a good result. Then again the sadness … “I walk into darkness …” continues, in the wonderful “I Let the Sun Go Down”. A grandiose and slow version of “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” with “Get Happy !!” takes us to the infectious (non-coronal) “Radio, Radio” and “High Fidelity”, and returns “Trust” to the clock, to me especially dear “From A Whisper to A Scream” and of course the ultimate “Alison”.
Everyone sings … The atmosphere is wonderful. Mostly older audiences, but also young people who know what good music is, regardless of the age difference between them and Mr. MacManus. And for the end – “Everyday I Write the Book.” I remember the version with “Punch The Clock” and I remembered the back vocals, but here the “Kostelic’s” surpassed the studio version. Like, after all, in “Pump It Up”. Ovation … Everyone got up and clapped and cheered. It is said “the hall is on its feet” … Brilliant, extraordinary – more than expected, and they were great.
Could it be better? That, of course, is a rhetorical question. Here’s the answer: “Shipbuilding, I Want You”, and a “frying pan” with “Oliver’s Army” and “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love And Understanding” with a very clear human and personal message. Elvis Costello is in excellent vocal, playing and authoring form, a trio of musicians who accompany him as well, and once again I will highlight the Kuroi / Lee duo. All in all – fantastic.
Miki with Elvis Costello
I’m glad (again, after Birmingham) I had the opportunity to see them, but also to talk to them after the show. The good feeling lasted even after leaving Armadillo Hall, because the Scottish police duo, after asking them to show us the way to the hotel, “put” us in a police van and drove us to our destination. Thanks guys! Thanks also to “King” Elvis and his traveling musicians for a wonderful evening. Noble(s) are the ones who ennoble life.
Miki with Pete Thomas
Miki wtih Steve Nieve
Miki with Kitten i Briana
Foto: Privatni album Tatjane Prvulović Mirković
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Kralj u Škotskoj
Izvanredan nastup jednog od najznačajnijih autora pop rock glazbe na njegovoj “Just Trust” turneji koja predstavlja bogatu zbirku odličnih pjesama od sedamdesetih godina do danas.
Elvis Costello velik je autor, tekstopisac i glazbenik koji više od četrdeset godina stvara izvanredna djela, ponajprije glazbena, iskušavajući se u raznim žanrovima i formama umjetničkog izričaja. Bilo da je u pitanju punokrvni new wave, glazba za balet, film ili najnovija za mjuzikl, bilo da su u pitanju rock, pop, country ili bilo koji drugi oblik popularne glazbe, bilo s kim da surađuje ili je solo, bilo da ga prate Attractionsi ili Impostersi, Confederatesi ili netko četvrti – rezultat je gotovo uvijek odličan. Počeo sam ga slušati upravo od albuma “Trust” i prilika da ga se vidi u meni najdražoj kvartetskoj formi nije se smjela propustiti.
Naime, trebao je relativno nedavno nastupiti i u Hrvatskoj, ali (razgovarao sam s njim nakon koncerta i o tome) zbog bolesti je taj dio turneje otkazan, pa nije bilo druge već da ga pokušam „uhvatiti“ negdje drugdje. Po onome što je godinama stvarao, a pribrojimo li tome i recentnije stvari poput biografije, rada na mjuziklu ili posljednjega, Grammyjem nagrađenoga albuma “Look Now”, apsolutno je vrijedilo potegnuti do Škotske. Ili bilo gdje drugdje. Imao sam ga prilike vidjeti uživo prije petnaest godina u Birminghamu (Simphony Hall) i taj je nastup bio fantastičan, no ovaj mi je bio još bolji.
Prije njega u lijepoj dvorani Armadillo u Glasgowu polusatnim nastupom predstavio nam se Ian Prowse, liverpoolski kantautor koji je uz pomoć violinistice i klavijaturista, te svog glasa i gitare bio vrlo dobar uvod u ono što slijedi. Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas i Davey Faragher ovoga puta pojačani s Kitten Kuroi i Brianom Lee otvorili su svoj nastup upravo pjesmama s “Trusta”. “Strict Time” i “Clubland” i danas zvuče čvrsto, hitično, melodično, odlično. Kao, uostalom i “Green Shirt” i “Accidents Will Happen” s “Armed Forces”. Nastavak pripada sporogorećoj “Watch Your Step” da bi se sve ubrzalo soulističnom “Tokyo Storm Warning”. I već tu je svima bilo jasno zašto su Kitten i Briana na pozornici. Dodana vokalna i aranžmanska vrijednost. Motown kolorature i r&b glasovni biseri izlaze iz njihovih usta, duša i srca. Na drugi album, “This Year’s Model”, vraćamo se s furioznom “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea”, pa prelazimo na “Unwanted Number”, jednu od najboljih stvari s “Look Now”. Vizualna i video pratnja cijeloga koncerta načinjena je u stilu posljednjega albuma i uz vrlo snažne tekstualne poruke i stavove koji su se pojavljivali na ekranima, kombinirani starijim fotografijama čine savršenu cjelinu.
Ekstenzivni reggae evergreen “Watching the Detectives” mračno se valjao u obscur dijelu nastupa. Mračno i lijepo u isti mah. A onda klavir (Elvis) i neprebolna “Good Year for the Roses”. Ma, rekao bih „dark black“, a ne “Almost Blue”… “A Face In the Crowd” vadi nas s dna i najavljuje Costellov mjuzikl, a ako je suditi po njegovim ranijim radovima za film i kazalište nema sumnje da će i ovo polučiti dobar rezultat. Onda opet tuga… „I walk into darkness…“ i dalje, u predivnoj “I Let the Sun Go Down”. Grandiozna i slow verzija “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down” s “Get Happy!!” vodi nas do zaraznih (nekoronskih) “Radio, Radio” i “High Fidelity”, te vraća “Trust” taktovima, meni osobito dragoj “From A Whisper to A Scream” i naravno ultimativnoj “Alison”.
Svi pjevaju…Atmosfera je divna. Pretežno starija publika, ali i mladi koji znaju što je dobra glazba bez obzira na dobnu razliku između njih i gospodina MacManusa. I za kraj “Everyday I Write the Book”. Sjećam se verzije s “Punch The Clock” i zapamtio sam back vokale, ali ovdje su „Kostelićke“ nadmašile studijsku verziju. Kao, uostalom i u “Pump It Up”. Ovacije… Svi su ustali i plješću i navijaju. Kaže se „dvorana je na nogama“… Briljantno, izvanredno – više od očekivanja, a ona su bila velika.
Može li bolje? To je, naravno, retoričko pitanje. Evo odgovora: “Shipbuilding, I Want You”, te „pržionica“ s “Oliver’s Army” i “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love And Understanding” s vrlo jasnom ljudskom i osobnom porukom. Elvis Costello u odličnoj je vokalnoj, sviračkoj i autorskoj formi, trojac glazbenika koji ga prati također, a još ću jednom istaknuti i dvojac Kuroi/Lee. Sve u svemu- fantastično.
Miki s Elvisom Costellom
Drago mi je da sam (ponovno, nakon Birminghama) imao priliku vidjeti ih, ali i porazgovarati s njima nakon nastupa. Dobar osjećaj potrajao je i nakon napuštanja dvorane Armadillo, jer nas je škotski policijski dvojac, nakon što smo ih zamolili da nam pokažu put do hotela, „stavio“ u „maricu“ i odvezao na odredište. Hvala momci! Hvala i „kralju“ Elvisu i njegovim putujućim glazbenicima na predivnoj večeri. Plemenit(aš)i su oni koji oplemenjuju život.
Miki s Peteom Thomasom
Miki sa Steveom Nieveom
Miki s Kitten i Brianom
Photo: Tatjana Prvulovic Mirkovic’s private album
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