Elvis/Police ,Mountain View, CA 14 July '08

[johnfoyle]

Anyone going?

Preview -

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9836723?I ... rynews.com

[MOJO]

I might. I'll be down in the Silicon Valley (near Mountain Spew) house / cat sitting (aka Party Down - w/ bbq, booze, hot tub.). Man, I feel sorry for that cat. Hopefully, it won't run away and I'll remember it actually exists... Anyhow, I'll be bored to tears, so I might swing by on my bicycle to check out the show. I almost scored a lawn ticket for $20 on Craigslist. A miracle ticket would be great, but I'm willing to shell out of few coins for the man. I'll just have to figure out how to get down to the front row or at least close to the stage. That might be challenging.

[johnfoyle]

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2008/0 ... -thoughts/

Posted by Shay Quillen on July 15th, 2008

(extract)

A pairing with opener Elvis Costello, a fellow member of the London Class of ‘77, sounded promising, but hampered by hoarseness, Costello struggled to get through a a sampling of some of his best-known material. I got stuck in traffic and missed the start of his set but arrived in time to see Sting — sporting a scruffy white beard — walk on and give Costello some much-needed vocal assistance during “Alison.”

http://www.ibabuzz.com/concerts/2008/07 ... ening-act/

Elvis Costello is a disappointment as opening act

By Jim
Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

The pairing of the Police and Elvis Costello on Monday night at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View was arguably the summer’s most promising double header. Yet the opener couldn’t hold up his end of the bargain.

The 53-year-old rocker was surprisingly bad throughout his short set, turning in uninspired versions of his greatest hits and acting like he’d rather be anywhere but at Shoreline.

The crowd’s reaction mirrored Costello’s enthusiasm level. For most of his performance, the number of people in the reserved section who were actually standing and dancing could be counted using a single set of fingers and toes. Costello didn’t give the crowd anything to get excited until the end of the set, when Sting was beckoned out to sing on “Alison.”

Partial setlist:

“Pump It Up”
“Mystery Dance”
“Everyday I Write the Book”
“American Gangster Time”
“Radio Radio”
“Clubland”
“Watching the Detectives”
“Alison” (with Sting)
“(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”

[verbal gymnastics]

Shame the voice is on its way out. He must have been shouting at the twins

[sweetest punch]

Setlist from wiki: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/inde ... 2008-07-14

01. Stella Hurt
02. Pump It Up
03. Mystery Dance
04. Uncomplicated
05. Everyday I Write The Book
06. American Gangster Time
07. Radio, Radio
08. Clubland
09. Turpentine
10. Watching The Detectives
11. Alison - with Sting
12. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?

[slobin]

Yeah, he was a little rough last night. Things started promising, and there were a few highlights - esp. Uncomplicated. It went downhill fast, though... by Alison, he could barely make any sound at all.
Still, I'll take mediocre Elvis over The Police any day. That's no insult towards them - they were great - it's just always a pleasure seeing Elvis. Hope he comes back to the Bay soon, headlining and healthy.
JS

[MOJO]

I was in the lower level for E.C.'s set. He sounded great and seemed in good spirits. It was really loud. There was like a wall of speakers the size of Half Dome right in front of me. One character I sat next to, for a bit, saw the pain I was in and offered a lovely scrap of paper towel to put in my hears. Hmmm... yeah, with his grubby hands all over it, that's what I want to put in my ear. Nice gesture, but I passed. E.C.'s voice did sort of give out quickly. I'm a bit disappointed I didn't see the Concord show. Ran into a few music lovers who I see at shows all the time. They came to see Elvis. Sort of cool.... And, oh yeah, I stuck around a bit for The Police (not really a fan) and they sounded way better than last year's gig (in Oakland). Stewart C. had a lot of energy - good to see.. He can wear that "sweating to the oldies" headband any time. I left after 5-6 songs. I don't know if the pace / energy continued. I sure hope it did for the fans.

[johnfoyle]

http://www.guitarvibe.com/2008/07/elvis-costello.html

Zack Urlocker blogs -

(extract)

This was my seventh time seeing Elvis over the years, and I must say, every gig is different.... this was the grungiest Costello set I've ever heard --right out of 1983. While some were critical of the show, I thought it was great. High energy, balls out distortion and loud. There were a few cuts from Costello's most recent album Momofuku, including American Gangster, which is a great song and could have easily been on his second album "This Year's Model." But most of it was material culled from the late 70's and early 80's. He started with "Pump it Up," and then immediately launched into "Mystery Dance" as well as other classics including "Radio, Radio," "Clubland," "Uncomplicated," "Watching the Detectives" and "Everyday I Write the Book" which was a bit of a disappointment to me in the current grungy arrangement. Costello brought out Sting to join in on vocals on Alison, which was a nice touch and then finished with "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love and Understanding?"