Elvis Plays Sligo Live Festival, 29 October 2011

[Yanyna]

Elvis with fans. Found it on twitter. The IPad(?) with purple headset is pretty cool

http://yfrog.com/kh3a0ffyj

[docinwestchester]

Elvis with fans. Found it on twitter. The IPad(?) with purple headset is pretty cool

Probably Skypes back home to Vancouver Island and NYC

[And No Coffee Table]

http://twitter.com/#!/TommyW/status/130386490231488512

Oliver's Army, Veronica and a Good Year for The Roses. Crowd lifted. http://campl.us/gDgd

[And No Coffee Table]

Elvis Costello playing "it don't bother me" for Bert Jansch #heaven

Shipbuilding in Sligo #Elvis http://pic.twitter.com/GMsbyqoA

[martinfoyle]

John posted this pic of the setlist to facebook

http://ow.ly/i/kboX/original

[And No Coffee Table]

Oliver's Army: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dre2xdVjlUY
Shipbuilding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKIEUbOYvfY

[johnfoyle]

So many thoughts , all to be shared later , when I get back to Dublin - too tired now!

[krm]

setlist anyone????

[verbal gymnastics]

Give them a chance krm

[bronxapostle]

yeh, and no errors or omissions this time king foyle or you will be dethroned!!!

[zough]

Saw EC last night in Sligo. Great gig. Nice venue. He was in good form and in good voice.
The stage was laid out with a piano on the left, a set of guitars in the middle and a seated location on the right (from audience perspective). All of which worked well and provided variety.
Somebody else may be knowledgeable on his instruments (5 guitars). He also sang some songs with the Beatbox.
Some crowd participation on God's comic and Radio Sweetheart but nothing like the old days.
Only negative comment is that the sound guys missed the change of mics so EC's voice was drowned out on some intros and during National Ransom and Green Shirt.
Highlights for me were God's Comic, Beyond Belief (I love IB) & Don't bother me (a real surprise) also the arrangement of National Ransom with loudhaler (ala Tom Waits) different and effective.
I didn't right down the setlist on the night but using the setlist which has been scanned (by john folye) as a guide here is what I recall. The order may not be exact but should be close.

1. Oliver's Army
2. Either side of the same town
3. Veronica
4. Good Year for the Roses
5. New Amsterdam/You've got to hide your love away
6. The name of this thing is not love
7. Bullets for the new born king
8. Everyday I write the book
9. Bedlam
10. All or Nothing at all (sitting right of stage)
11. She (sitting left of stage)
12. Watching the detectives (Beatbox)
13. God's Comic
14. Radio Sweetheart/Jackie Wilson said
15. Alison (some off mic singing)
Encore
16. Jimmy Standing in the rain
17. A Slow Drag with Josephine
18. Beyond Belief (sitting left of stage)
19. Don't Bother Me (Bert Jansch) (sitting right of stage)
20. Green Shirt (Beatbox) (very loud)
Encore 2
21. National Ransom (Piano & Loudhaler)
22. Shipbuilding (Piano)
23. Pump it up
24. All These Strangers (some off mic singing)
25. (WSFA) Peace Love & Understanding

Zough (newbie to this site but not to EC)

[FAVEHOUR]

Welcome, Zough!
And thanks for the details!

Dave

[krm]

Thanks !! and welcome

[verbal gymnastics]

Hi Zough

Thanks and welcome.

By the way, please ensure that setlists posted are 100% accurate. We don't tolerate misstakes on this forum

[johnfoyle]

Back in Dublin my tired head is dealing with jumbled impressions of two evenings of Elvis Costello. It was , as always, great to see him, see how he cast his spell over a crowd and sent them away happy. Similarly it was good to engage with the wider community of Costello fans , hear all their news and get to spend some time in the country side , walking , with Sulky Boy , the banks of the Garavogue river - photos here -

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... a8fa55c8f2



Elvis was, on the whole, in good voice. The croakiness was still there , never getting as cleared up as it did in Belfast the day before. It was good to hear fresh takes on some songs and heartfelt renditions of some of the , to these ears, hackneyed ones. Which brings me to my one reservation about the two shows - the lack of new materiel. Elvis has, of course , been upfront with us about his personal situation that makes him not inclined to write new materiel. It would, however, be inaccurate of me to say that I'm totally accepting of the lack of same. Elvis' shows have always been a pleasing mix of material for the the general music fan and something new for those of us more immersed in his work. The lack of the latter is , therefore, notable. Harsh as it is to state it, I like to flatter myself that I'm sufficiently familiar with Elvis' mind set that he would appreciate as specific a stating of that opinion.

Getting Elvis' autograph was a happy chance. I had established the possible stage door before the show . Sulky and I came out of the show and were waiting to be joined by others to go and stake it out. In the confusion of a large, enthusiastic crowd it was hard to find them. Sulky and I decided to go ahead and, literally as we came to it, Elvis and one other man came out. Dark clothes, dark-tinted spectacles, hat on head, he saw us with setlists in hand and came over. 'It's fucking freezing' he says. It wasn't really but then we hadn't been sweating buckets under stage lights. As he scribbled I gabbled something about ' the soft Irish weather' . 'No, it's not !' he corrected me. Sulky started joking about some crazy Daily Mail theory about the weather which seemed to puzzle Elvis...he wasn't alone! And then Elvis was being lead of by the man , I shouted 'good luck with the tour ' , he half turned saying ' Yeah!' and was gone.

Since I posted this photo on Facebook last night -



- some confusion has been caused. I had the Belfast setlist and Sligo setlist with me, hoping to get both signed. Hurried , however, as things were I only got the Belfast one done. Hence the assumption that Last Boat Leaving was done in Sligo etc., like it was in Belfast.

Here is the Sligo setlist, taken by me from the ground beneath the Wurlitzer organ-




Now, to the setlist. Yet again , I decipher it from my notes. The bad news is that , though it was definitely performed, I have not noted when Everyday I Write The Book was performed. I'm resolved to accepting the thrashing that doubtlessly I will incur over the matter from Verbal but take heart in the hope that Sulky's recording will , eventually, clarify the matter. For the moment I've slotted it in where the setlist placed it.



01. Oliver's Army ( acoustic)
02. Either Side Of The Same Town ( acoustic)
03. Veronica ( acoustic)
04. Good Year For The Roses ( acoustic)
05. Bullets For The New-Born King ( acoustic)
06. New Amsterdam / You've Got To Hide Your Love Away ( acoustic)
07. Everyday I Write The Book ( acoustic)
08. Bedlam ( acoustic)
09. All Or Nothing At All( acoustic, seated)
10. Beyond Belief ( acoustic, seated)
11. She (acoustic, seated)
12. Watching The Detectives ( backing track intro., electric)
13. Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said ( acoustic)
14. Gods Comic ( acoustic)
15. Alison ( acoustic)
Encore 1
16. A Slow Drag With Josephine ( acoustic)
17. Jimmie Standing In The Rain ( acoustic)
18. Don't Bother Me / It Don't Bother Me ( acoustic, seated )
19. Green Shirt( backing track intro., Wurlitzer)
Encore 2
20. I Hope ( acoustic)
21. National Ransom No 5 (backing track intro., Wurlitzer, klaxon)
22. Shipbuilding ( Wurlitzer)
23. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? ( acoustic)
24. All These Strangers ( acoustic)
25. Pump It Up ( acoustic)

Some photos -









....................and , to wrap things up for the moment, here's one of the more quaint features in our b 'n b !

[And No Coffee Table]

Thanks, John.

So "The Name Of This Thing Is Not Love" was not played after all?

[sulky lad]

This photo show a very Catholic looking Mr Foyle trying to find ( rather easily) a Protestant to burn before Guy Fawkes night. More later. recording seems a bit wayward not complete F*****g flash recorder stopped after ~ 90 minutes, will have up on dime within a couple of days. Sorry BA, no analogue, stewards too close to my right elbow !

[zough]

Comparing my recollection of the setlist and John Foyle's one, there is only one song difference.
So it was "I Hope" and not "The Name Of This Thing Is Not Love" that was played.
Apologies for confusion
Regarding the order we'll have that sorted when the recording appears on Dime.

Zough.

[johnfoyle]

Irish broadcaster John Kelly , regular radio co-presenter with Elvis when he lived in Ireland, could be seen by the stage in Sligo.


John tweets - ' Delighted to announce my new post. Hat roadie for Elvis Costello. I'm taking it very seriously. '

[johnfoyle]

John Kelly 'tweeted' these photos -

[Mikeh]

John/Sulky

Has EC put on a bit of weight? I thought he was looking TOO thin around the time of Spectacle series 2. Looks a bit better now.

[johnfoyle]

Elvis looked trim enough to me. If anything he looked a bit more healthy than the rather gaunt look that seemed evident in photos from earlier this yaer.

[Otis Westinghouse]

Back on the pies.

[docinwestchester]

Back on the pies.

Is this what you're referencing? It's crazy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiAM5WJRyBg

[the_platypus]

Shipbuilding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKIEUbOYvfY

Wow. That is stunning. His quiet, minimal playing here makes the song so much sadder.