Gig review: Elvis Costello & Steve Nieve at the National Concert Hall, Dublin
Elvis Costello performing at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. Picture: Mark Stedman
It’s said that the mark of a great song is if it can be played on one or two instruments and still stand up. The lord knows Elvis Costello has written more than his share of immortal tunes and as a lyricist he simply has few if any equals. The concept of this current jaunt is straightforward enough; Elvis and long-time cohort and keyboard genius Mr Steve Nieve – “We’ve been on the stage for 45 years” – dip into that enviable songbook and frankly it doesn’t really matter what they pick out because they’re all great songs.
Opening with King Of America’s ‘Jack of All Parades’ and then Armed Forces’ ‘Accidents Will Happen’, Costello’s voice takes a bit of time to warm up, singing into an old 1940s radio-style microphone while Nieve throws classical shapes behind him. Costello then tells a story about embarrassing himself while buying a piano before ‘Shot With His Own Gun’ from 1981’s Trust, with Nieve moving from strident chords to a rolling solo and almost managing pizzicato on a keyboard in between. If Costello doesn’t whisper a daily silent prayer of thanks for meeting this man all those years ago then he should.
