Elvis Costello @ Town Hall

Elvis Costello; Larkin Poe
@ Town Hall
New York, NY - October 1, 2016

Elvis Costello took a "detour" from his Impostors-run for a solo show shaped in great part by his book events last year and the work on an upcoming musical of some note. With a theatrical giant mock old TV set onstage playing videos of yore and family photos (as well as the amazing footage of his dad performing "If I Had a Hammer"), Costello played from a variety of records including his work with Mr. Toussaint, a swingin' version of "Blame It on Cain", and a deliriously haunting piano rendition of "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror". He further played songs from a musical he's helping to put together, an adaptation of the perfect and prescient film, A Face in the Crowd. On these and some others (including "What's So Funny?), he was aided by his opening act, the dynamic young sister duo out of Atlanta, Larkin Poe, who themselves ginned up a set of stompin' blues rock, a form of music that always needs a good kick in the pants every half a decade.