Elvis Costello And Steve, with Le Quintette Saint Germain
Philharmonie De Paris
Paris, France
24 September 2023
01. When I Was Cruel No. 2 - EC & Steve
02. Shot With His Own Gun - EC & Steve
03. Waiting For The End Of The World - EC & Steve, including a false start
04. Like Licorice On Your Tongue - EC & Steve
05. Pills And Soap
06. What Is It That I Need That I Don't Already Have?
07. That Blue Look - Toledo
08. Hey Clockface - How Can You Face Me?
09. The Last Confession Of Vivian Whip
10. The Birds Will Still Be Singing
11. The Comedians
12. I Do (Zula's Song)
13. The Long Honeymoon
14. Watching The Detectives
15. Accidents Will Happen
16. Almost Blue
17. She
18. Adieu Paris (L'Envie Des Etoiles) - EC at piano
19. The Whirlwind
20. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding? - Steve sings a verse
21. Shipbuilding
22. Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4
Elvis Costello - vocals, guitar, piano
Steve Nieve - keyboards, grand piano, vocals
Le Quintette Saint Germain:
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Renaud-Gabriel Pion - bass clarinet, baritone sax, other wind instruments
Mickaël Gasche - trumpet, flugel horn, serpent
Pierre-François "Titi" Dufour - cello
Antoine Ulysse Quessada - percussion, vocals
Master Recording
Recorder: area51GM
Lineage: Sounds Professional cardioid microphones > Marantz PMD 620 Mk II - 16 bit settings > wav > Nero Platinum for track separation > TLH > FLAC > you
A very special one-off concert with the added bonus of the musicians who served so well in the recording of some of the best tracks off "Hey Clockface", this just seemed too good to miss and I am indebted to two very kind ladies who offered mee on the one hand a free ticket and on the other the cost of my flight to the French capital. My outward journey was extremely fraught but I arrived within an hour to spare at my hotel about 20 minutes walk away and legged it dodging the ushers who scanned my torso for any illegal devices but who conspicuously failed to move the detectors around any other regions where recording devices may have been cunningly secreted! My generous benefactor had secured me a seat in the 5th row slightly to the right of centre but with an unobstructed view of the stage and I was able to have a very clear view of the whole proceedings. Elvis led Steve out to polite applause generally but with a hardcore group of fans making themselves heard in their unmuted acclaim and they led off with the wonderful "When I Was Cruel No.2" with its epic tale of a society wedding and the keen observation of Elvis paints such a vivid picture you cannot help but be drawn into the facile nature of the event despite the money lavished on it - and the bride. I love this song very much and it is a joy to hear how Elvis has mastered the "box of tricks" he referred to later in the show so that the backing accompaniment with beatbox and the sample from Mina's Un Bacio È Troppo Poco. It was a great start to the show and Elvis then complimented Steve by describing how he bought a piano in the early 80s, wrote songs on it and then Steve turned them into the musical pieces he had envisaged. Their mutual affection was palpable and the musical empathy also shone through throughout the concert. This was especially obvious in the following songs with just the two of them, "Shot With His Own Gun" and "Like Licorice On Your Tongue" with it's rhythmic ancestry going back to 1996s "Shallow Grave". Sandwiched in between was "Waiting For The End Of The World" which Steve began with a tiny keyboard at ninety degrees to his grand piano and after the first couple of riffs of the bassline, a key jammed and threw them out. Elvis laughed as the note continued as they ground to a halt and shouted "Play it on the piano" but Steve worked out what had happened as the keyboard tech went to help and they resumed with barely a flicker of embarrassment. After "Licorice" the guest musicians appeared onstage and got a spirited reception and all looked very intent on making the most of their appearance. As a fledgling double bassist, I watched "Titi" on cello avidly but what struck me most clearly was how the harmonies of Renaud-Gabriel Pion in particular completely altered the songs in that he frequently played the contralto or tenor lines to the songs and the mellow beauty of the woodwind instruments he played enhanced the beauty of all the songs that were offered up from "Hey Clockface". I spent periods with my eyes closed just to be able to be undistracted from the superb playing of these fine musicians and the glory of their ensemble performances along with Steve's always impeccable and flawless piano playing. Their first adventure however was a slightly less impressive "Pills And Soap" which probably wasn't the best choice of song for a chamber group and felt a little like the arrangement was forced rather than flowing naturally. My first delight for the group however immediately followed with "What Is It That I Need...." which showed all the guile and subtlety of the recorded version. Elvis introduced this with an anecdote about Bob Dylan meeting with John Mellencamp which explained much! After this he talked about Burt Bacharach and is still appreciably moved by the passing of the great man and then asked if he could play a new song which has been given differing titles since he played it in Iceland but seems to be cited as "That Blue Look" which Elvis suggested was rhythmically based on a similar pattern to the "Painted From Memory" track "Toledo" which he always sings with respect and vocal dexterity and this version was no less spectacular, the musicians bringing out the orchestral highlights as though they were a twenty piece ensemble. I think I must adopt some brevity here but other highlights included "I Do", - despite Kessada's rather flat first harmony note which put Elvis off until Steve emphasised the melody but lovely cello and cymbal work by Titi and Kessada throughout - "The Birds Will Still Be Singing", "The Long Honeymoon" with Steve on a tiny (and barely audible) accordion but beautiful horn playing mimicking the French horns on the recorded track, "She" - very well received as is generally the case in Europe - but transfigured by the additional musicians into something even I felt moved by, "Adieu Paris" with Elvis speaking movingly about shared citizenship and the loss of that since the terrible decision by the U.K. to leave the EU, "The Whirlwind" one of Elvis' greatest songs of the last 45 years to these ears and finally "Couldn't Call It Unexpected No.4" where Elvis went walkabout through the hall and brought four female members of the audience back on stage with him. The crowd responded really well and the last ovation lasted loud and long as they took their leave from us.
I had to work quite hard on this as the quiet periods contrasted sharply with the louder parts but hopefully it's a rather nice recording of a very special event. I'm so glad I went through the vagaries of travel to get there. Many thanks for all the friends for their kindness and support throughout the day and throughout my touring history.
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