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On this day 24 June 2010, Singer and Songwriting legend Elvis Costello played Cardiff’s St David’s Hall.
Elvis Costello
St David's Hall, Cardiff
By Tony Woolway
Two musical greats hit Cardiff this week playing vastly different venues, yet both eagerly awaited by fans to whom both have acquired a somewhat god-like status.
Pre-empting McCartney at the Millennium Stadium this evening, the equally talented and highly acclaimed Elvis Costello played the smaller and more intimate St David's Hall.
Unaccompanied and armed only with an array of fine guitars, his stripped down versions of classics from one of rock's most celebrated and extensive bodies of work was a real treat.
There are very few figures from the era that spawned punk still treading the boards today as regularly as Costello, and certainly no one nearly as creative or as productive.
It was a low-key entrance from the man.
And with no need for grand introductions, it was straight into his first number "45," followed swiftly by "Either Side Of The Same Town" and "Veronica," a number co-written by Costello with former Beatle McCartney.
It was proving to be the perfect setting which ideally suited what had become a laid-back, living room experience.
And Costello's good-natured banter and chat about his songs and experiences was certainly an added bonus in what was quickly becoming a memorable evening.
The interesting thing about an evening with Elvis is the likelihood of hearing something never heard before or hearing an oldie dusted down and re-worked.
Costello didn't disappoint, producing a manic version of "Watching The Detectives" before moving effortlessly into "Radio Sweetheart," with a touch of "Jackie Wilson Said" thrown into the mix.
The encore produced some real gems with the excellent "Sulphur To Sugarcane" followed by a bitter-sweet "Alison" and then the classic anti-war anthem "Shipbuilding" in what was a quite exceptional evening.
Setlist
01. 45
02. Either Side Of The Same Town
03. Veronica
04. Down Among The Wines And Spirits
05. Suit Of Lights
06. Condemned Man
07. Good Year For The Roses
08. Everyday I Write The Book
09. Bedlam
10. Jimmie Standing In The Rain
11. A Slow Drag With Josephine - off-mic
12. Watching The Detectives
13. Radio Sweetheart / Jackie Wilson Said
14. God's Comic
15. I Hope
16. Sulphur To Sugarcane
Encores
17. Girls Talk
18. Alison - including The Wind Cries Mary
19. All Or Nothing At All
20. Poison Moon
21. Black And White World
22. Shipbuilding
23. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
24. One Bell Ringing
Start time: 7.52pm
End time: 9.38pm
