Returning to Chicago for the first time since his 2012 Riot Fest appearance with The Attractions, to which he noted “The kids were trying to figure out we were,” Costello took the stage to entertain a much older crowd. Digging deep into his catalog of songs, Costello was able to bring forth moments from the many different phases of his career: early pop hits like “Less Than Zero,” somber ballads like “Shipbuilding,” and new material like the recently debuted “The Last Year of My Youth.”
Between songs, Costello gave the audience insight into many of their beginnings through his recounting of tales related to his early family life and musical discoveries. The memories were presented with tact and humor, with swift dodging of heckling concert patrons trying to give their two cents. (i.e. Drunk woman shouting a request: “What’s So Funny?” after the conclusion of each song.) “Sorry, I’m speaking,” Costello replied at one point.Embedded in Costello’s set were numbers from artists including The Beatles, Richard Thompson, Fred E. Ahlert, and Roy Turk. He was not shy about giving credit to the many different musicians that had influenced his success, ranging from Paul McCartney, to his father, to the musicians he used to play with at pubs in England.
He ended the evening by granting the request of the uncensored, inebriated fan to my right by speeding through “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding” after informing the audience that he was surely soon going to be kicked off stage for playing too long. As gracious to the audience as his voice was in tune, Elvis Costello brought the crowd to their feet for multiple standing ovations throughout the night. He holds a spot on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of all time, and demonstrated his deservingness through his concise musical expertise and performance technique.
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