Elvis Costello and his band The Attractions plus The Rubinoos brought some "new" music to a very enthusiastic crowd at War Memorial Auditorium recently.
The Rubinoos kicked off the night with some very well-played 60's style music which included The Beatles song "Please Please Me." Their music had a Southern California blend. Many people were surprised by The Rubinoos original sound and their "happy-go-lucky" stage presence, as they joked around on stage in between songs. The Rubinoos should be surprising a lot of people in the future as their tour progresses with Elvis Costello.
With his third album, Armed Forces, climbing up the charts, Costello's concert dates are selling out or almost at every small hall he has played. Nashville's concert was no different as people filled up most of the auditorium to see the most popular musician in New Wave music.
Costello and The Attractions started out with "Accidents Will Happen" and "Good Squad." As he performed the songs he seemed to look right through the audience with no emotions, which is all part of his act. He comes across as a meek man wearing a baggy gray suit performing with a band of crazy musicians, but he's actually a stately musician with a very concise band.
"Oliver's Army" off his latest album kept the show going along with "Hard In Hand" from This Year's Model, plus "B-Movie," "Girl's Talk," and "Motel Mattress."
He also included "Watching The Detectives" which he performed on Saturday Night Live almost two years ago where he gained national recognition.
Costello is not known for his encores, but he played two for Nashville. One as the crowd cheered for "You Belong To Me," which sounded somewhat like The Beatles. As the crowd was about to leave, he surprised everyone when the group came back and played one last encore.
Costello proved to Nashville that his new music is here for the world of rock 'n' roll, and that he definitely deserves more airplay in Nashville and Murfreesboro.
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