Anyone go to Elvis Costello at Vicar St?

Chelon

We went on the final Tuesday night. What a letdown. For around two-thirds of the songs the flippin Brodsky Quartet featured heavily.

For anyone there on the other nights, did they appear then?

Fanirish

they joined for nights 3 and 4. First two nights was just elvis and Steve

Chelon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122680365#Comment_122680365

We got unlucky then…ok they've done 1 album together but why did they feature so heavily on most of his classics? Ruined the gig for me…

hob79132

Yes - agree with that. Unfortunately I found a lot of it quite boring; looking round I wasn't the only one. Thought it picked up towards the end when the uilleann piper came on.

Chelon

Spoke to a few in the pub after and without exception they all said they loved it - although agreeing with me re the Brodskys, the view was that he's of an age now that he can do what he wants; of course he can but could he please do it in his kitchen and not inflict it on long term fans who've loved his music for many decades…

hob79132

Play the f*cking hits!

Fanirish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122680610#Comment_122680610

it wasn’t advertised as that at all. More fool you if expecting that. It was advertised as 4 night 100 song songbook show.

Chelon

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/elvis-costello-and-steve-nieve/2024/vicar-street-dublin-ireland-2b536056.html

I'd say at least 50% quality there - did he really do Donald where's yer troosers 🤣

Hotblack Desiato

I was there on the Friday and it was just Elvis and Steve (with a guy doing beats for a few songs) and it was superb. Didn't sound like the records at all but that was pretty much the point.

trashcan

How was his voice ? Last solo gig of his I saw on YouTube I thought his voice was in a bad state. I was a massive fan in the 80’s and 90’s but not much that he’s done since has grabbed me.

Hotblack Desiato

no problems with voice but he was hardly Axl Rose back in the day now was he 😉

hkjohn

Went on the Monday - pissed off about the BQ supplanting SN for most of the show which I felt suffered as a result.

While he’s always been a bit of an arse, I found EC’s insistence on frequently barrelling up to the front of he stage to bask in the applause increasingly irritating as the evening dragged on (and on).

The uilleann piper was indeed terrific, though

jrar

Went on the Sat. and was treated to 2.5 hours of brilliant 'live' versions of all sorts of his material, from early hits to more recent stuff.

His voice was a little wobbly/off at times I thought but Nieve was brilliant and it was quite the show with no interval………………sorry to hear that many didn't enjoy the BQ gigs on the Mon/Tues but I can safely say that I loved the Sat. night gig.

hkjohn

Had he billed his residency as Fri and Sat night with just him and SN and Mon and Tues night with the BQ onstage for the bulk of the set, I’d have gone on the Sat myself

Chelon

Isn't it weird though how most of the audience applauded every BQ number they featured on? Judging by comments here they were not popular. Don't think I clapped at all…

hkjohn

As doubt EC's recorded/live collabs with the BQ would be anywhere near the top of most of his fans' musical eras, I think the clapping was carried out with gritted teeth.

Would have been quite happy to see the BQ do a few choons at the start of the evening and then surrender the stage to co-billed headliner SN. As it was they were there for 90% of the night and SN was very much an afterthought.

While it's fair for our musical heroes to play what they want, think an artist's advertising a tour as X and then changing the entire nature of the evening to Y is very disrespectful of their fans.

i

mosstin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122737805#Comment_122737805

I mean that just sounds utterly churlish. You're enough of a fan to go to the gig but when he doesn't play the songs you want, you sat there sulking and not clapping? Jaysus.

Chelon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122744691#Comment_122744691

I think you're misreading my intent - I didn't have any issue with the setlist, I'd say 50% or more classics; but to layer on strings on such gems as New Lace Sleeves, Long Honeymoon and Shipbuilding just didn't work for me.

To not applaud stuff you didn't enjoy isn't churlish, it's just honest…

Chelon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122744619#Comment_122744619

Agree with all of that. I remember Neil Young at the RDS, slow handclaps and people walking out. Apart from my crowd didnt spot anyone else leaving…

Hotblack Desiato

Is that the time when a load of D4 types turned up expecting "Neil Young" when it was billed as "Neil Young & Crazy Horse" and if they'd known more than two of his songs they'd have been well aware of the HUGE difference?

I was at one of the EC+SN shows, no BQ, and it didn't need anything added to it imho. If there was going to be another group of performers fundamentally altering the nature of the show then it should have been billed as such.