Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint


Saw them last night and it ranks as one of the best concert experiences I've ever witnessed. The band consisted of Costello, the Imposters, the Crescent City Horns, a second guitarist and Toussaint. Costello did most of the vocals. The show started with Costello and the Imposters doing a couple of Costello songs, they were then joined by the Crescent Horns and finally Toussaint entered and they did his "On Your Way Down". For the next hour or so they primarily did Toussaint songs and songs from their new collaborative album "The River In Reverse". Toussaint then left the stage and the remaining band performed a number of Costello songs with updated Toussaint arrangements. After five or six songs Toussaint rejoins the band and they play another handful of songs penned by both artists. Everybody leaves the stage and then for an encore just Costello & Toussaint re-emerge. Toussaint plays a solo piano tribute to Professor Longhair and does a duet with Costello. The entire band joins in and they play 3 or 4 more songs. They exit the stage, the lights come on and the audience starts to leave. We're standing in the lobby about 10 minutes later and suddenly the music has restarted. We walk back in and the place is half empty, but the entire band is back on stage and they performed another half dozen songs. Finally, slightly more than 3 hours after starting the concert ended. I'll say it again, it was one of the best concerts I've ever attended. It was a major musical treat.
onhwy61

Showing 2 responses by onhwy61

Can't comment on the album since I haven't heard it yet, but the concert was mind blowing. The musicianship was superb. Toussaint is such a fine pianist, Steve Nieve never plays a bad note, Big Sam on trombone got the crowd going with every solo, the second guitarist (whose name I don't know) never took a solo, but his rhythm cemented the band's sound, and Elvis was in superb vocal shape. Costello doesn't possess a great voice and he has limited range and dexterity, but with suitable material his timing, dramatic and emotional qualities make him a very strong vocal presence. He's also quite an enthusiastic showmen.

High points of the show:

"On Your Way Down"
"Clubland"
"Watching the Detectives"
"Ascension Day"
"Bedlam"
"A Certain Girl"
"Working In A Coal Mine"
"Alison"
"I Can't Stand Up..."
"Professor Longhair Medley"