Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Count Basie Theatre 10/22/2021

  

 What an amazing concert. Only the second time I have seen Elvis Costello. The first time was back in 2002 at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. That was a very good concert marred only by the horrible acoustics at Convention Hall.

  Mr. Costello's concert the other night was excellent. The main setlist was comprised of deeper cuts and new songs, with a few of his bigger hits added in. The songs I knew, I loved, and the ones I didn't, I now do also. 

  Up to the last 5 songs, it was a GREAT concert, but when he finished with a few of his biggest songs, the show hit a whole new level.

 His band The Imposters in comprised of Steve Nieve on Keyboards and Pete Thomas on drums, both from Elvis' original band The Attractions. Bassist Davey Faragher rounds out the band, and for this tour Charlie Sexton is handling additional guitar duty.

 So grateful I got to see this amazing show and hope they come back very very soon.

 Here is the setlist:

  Big Tears

  Truth Drug

  Green Shirt

  No Flag

  Either Side of the Same Town

  Hetty O'Hara Confidential

  Hey Clockface / How Can You Face Me?

  (The Angels Wanna Wear) My Red Shoes

  Motel Mania

  Mistook Me For a Friend

  Uncomplicated

  Everyday I Write The Book

 We Are All Cowards Now

  What If I Can't Give You Anything But Love?

  Watching The Detectives

  The Comedians

  Brilliant Mistake / Boulevard of Broken Dreams 

  (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea

  The Death of Magic Thinking

  Magnificent Hurt

  Mystery Dance

  Radio Radio

  Farewell, O.K.

  Allison

  Pump It Up / Ain't That a Lot Of Love

  (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding

Pete Thomas, Davey Faragher & Charlie Sexton

Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve, Elvis Costello Davey Faragher & Charlie Sexton

  

  

 

  

In Memoriam - Paddy Moloney

                                         Thank you for decades of beautiful music. Rest in Peace.

Christopher Cross - Count Basie Theatre-Red Bank, NJ 9/28/2021

   Christopher Cross brought his delayed 40th Anniversary Tour to The Count Basie Theatre this past week. Very happy to see that he is doing well after being stricken with Covid 19 last year, which he mentioned early on in the concert.

     Through much of the early part of the concert, his voice sounded weak, but his guitar playing was a strong as ever.

      At the midway point he did an acoustic version of Swept Away and he sounded great. It would turn out that the problem was not his voice, but the mix.  A shame, because the few songs where he played solo or with only one accompanist, he sounded great. 

    He was very talkative, and told some great stories including how his Father was his inspiration for wanting to become a musician, how the Beatles were a huge influence on him.

He dedicated Arthur's Theme to Dudley Moore and told a very funny story of spending an evening with Liza Minnelli and her Mothers ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz.

     Here is the setlist: 

 Minstrel Gigolo

 All Right

 Never Be The Same

 Take Five(Dave Brubeck cover-Snippet)

 I Really Don't Know Anymore

 Poor Shirley

 Sailing

 Baby It's All You

 Arthur's Theme(Best That You Can Do)

 Swept Away

 Dreamers

 Spinning

 Say You'll Be Mine

 The Light is On

 Roberta

 No Time For Talk

 Ride Like The Wind

 Think of Laura