The Capitol Theatre films are a priceless treasure - rare chances to see the greatest musicians when they were young, raw, in a small simple setting, often before anybody knew who they were.
I was 18 years old when I started listening to Elvis in Japan and now I am 56 years old living in Oregon for 30 years listening to Elvis entire the U.S. lifetime.❤😂🎉😮🎉😂❤
I remember back when I was 16, and my then-18 and legal-to-have-fun brother (19 days before my birthday, the legal drinking age went up to age 21, and has remained that ‘legal’- legal drinking age in Michigan envied his good luck: he could drink alcohol-legally and he was having the time of his life hooting it up in the bars (what returned to our childhood home; and on a break from ‘being a freshman’ at CMU
My sister worked here and I got to hang backstage and meet Mr.McManus and bandmates! Lost my mind and was the coolest 14 year old eva! Still got it and so do they!!!
one of the best 2 or 3 backing bands in the history of rock. Period. Tight and killer punch. This Year's Model is smoking hot. Steve Nieve's insane keyboard is definitely the bands signature sound.
I agree..I bought This years model the week it came out and can still remember walking round in the sun singing 'there's no action'...an amazing period in time..I remember my mate said his sister was dating the keyboard player ar that time..I never knew if that was true or not..she was probably one in a long line! :D
So true and appreciate your mentioning This Year's Model -- it's as stellar a record as anyone has ever made, seems to be very rarely mentioned in his catalog, still holds all the venom.
Northern soul, combined with the spirit of late 70's new wave at it's best!!! Fantastic live performance, the camera only concentrated on the musicians and their ability, to set their songs on fire! Spirit, emotions, motivation on stage, from a bunch of pale englishmen with black souls...a day to remember!!!
Elvis before he got civilized. The way he says "youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" on Lipstick Vogue is priceless. Unstylized unvarnished new wave before it became a brand name.
'Lipstick vogue' was the track that blew me away when I first bought 'this years model' back in 1978...and 'there's no action' remember so clearly singing it all the time (seemed to be sunny all the time too) :D...maybe coz it was...bought the remaster a few years ago and once again WOW!!! I just went back to being 15 again!
100% agree, although with the Attractions it’s kinda the reverse: Bruce Thomas’s bass lines are virtuosic and flashy like Keith Moon’s drumming, and Pete Thomas’s drums are just like Entwistle’s bass playing- they are the absolute center of the whole enterprise, without which everything would fall apart. Not to say that both Pete Thomas or Entwistle weren’t capable of some stunning complexity, but they are both kinda the backbones of their respective bands.
@@patrickbrownson1 ~ Interesting take. I think The keyboards add another texture to the rhythm section. Steve deftly moves from supporting the melody/harmony to punctuating the rhythm.
Jackie 42 I agree! Steve added the musical element that made the Attractions stick out the most, with his classically trained fingers working very hard to play dirty, dissonant organ figures and simple stabs of synth. I’ve always felt that his restraint is as impressive as his capacity for complexity, and the former certainly makes the latter stand out. I also loved learning, from Elvis’s autobiography, of how Steve Nieve got his stage name: after being warned against further interactions with a “groupie”, he responded, “What’s a groupie?”. He was not made for rock n’ roll, but Elvis put him in the mix anyway, and that innocence and wonder comes through in his playing. 👍🏻
@@patrickbrownson1 Really well said! I was fortunate to run into Nieve and Pete at a bar on the band's off-night following a 1980 gig in San Francisco. I told him I admired his baroque flourishes and that he entertained the hell out of me, and he really seemed to like hearing that.
Fantastic share I'm a proud second generation Costello fan. My parents didn't name me Allison for the heck of it. I cried like a baby when I saw and heard him sing my song with my father here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Elvis was one of the most exciting performers I ever saw. Winterland, San Franscisco 1978. Right up there with Elvin Bishop, Tower of Power and Ray Campi and the Rockabilly Rebels.
So he/she was like, "look, guys, I know we're supposed to have class tonight, but there's this show I really want to see, who wants to come?" Awesome. I should try that move.
I always wondered how the Attractions actually were in live performance. I always had the studio recordings, most of which are incredible. but finally I see now they kicked ass live. EC was lucky to have them, something that he acknowledges more so nowadays, if you read his autobiography. but we must also acknowledge that w/o EC's prolific pen & unmistakable voice, none of us would be here now watching this.
I agree completely. Studio recordings don't come near their live shows in energy. Even in this video, each player is putting it all out there. I think Steve's keyboards are mixed slightly high and Bruce's bass a tad low, but realize that EC wasn't a virtuoso guitarist. He needed the band to fill out the sound - and holy crap, did they ever.
@@chasbodaniels1744 No, I agree with you. Elvis is about as good as Cobain during this period. He is better now but still not great. But his intense, emotional signing....no one else sounds like that or can do what he can do emotionally with a song. His voice is a match for that band..and at this point he was saying "who the fuck cares about guitar solos". It's monumental in this period.
this concert was a few days before my 1st birthday. I live 2 towns away from where the Capitol Theater was. WHY WAS I BORN TOO LATE?! my fuck I adore Elvis.
In 1978 there were three bands to see. The Sex Pistols (because they were a train wreck), Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on the Darkness tour snd Elvis Costello. They were the only artists that mattered at the time.
Saw Elvis-Joe Jackson-Graham Parker-They were all fast-non stop -pretty much no crowd interaction shows that were done in less than an hour. They were exhausting because of that and always left you wanting more. But when these guys were done-they were done and off stage in seconds-no lingering or coming back for numerous encores. Their attitude is we gave you what you came for-Good night.
OMG...this was breathtaking new music when it came out and I was totally smitten. Got to see Elvis Costello and the Attractions at the Stone Pony in Asbury park...we didn't have tickets and had to wait until the ticket holders came in. So in the interim, the group of us shivering in the cold it was like January or February, took turns going into the dive bar next door. I laughed and said wouldn't it be funny if they came in here...and they did! Got to meet the band...they were young and fun just like my friends and me...Elvis was in his Angry Young Man form and totally detached sitting at the bar eating a hamburger. Just found this fabulous concert and I am able to relive one of the most fun concerts by listening to this one (at the Stone Pony, I got to sit on the little stage...you can't do that now LOL). What a fabulous band!
Third time I caught Elvis was at the House of Blues In Nawlins.Standing in line before the show I noticed a door was open. After peaking inside I snuck in and stayed in the dark. The band was warming up with Whats so funny bout peace love and understanding. I had a perfect view. I stayed and heard the entire song and snuck out undetected. My brush with greatness.I was gobsmacked.
ClueSign PT rules the bass! Sad he and Elvis fell out so harshly after such great work together. Elvis probably wouldn't have made it so big without the Attractions who were great live and in the studio. Pete on Punch the Clock is off the hook!
When I interviewed Cyndi Lauper once, she blessed my pregnant belly cuz I knew she’d named her son Declan after Elvis. I’ve seen Elvis at least 15 times in my life and every time was amazing. Thx for posting these videos!
I saw him in April 79. He walked on the stage and just started playing. Very little interaction with the audience. And i love it. Definitely had the angry guy routine down pat. Thanks for posting this, great memories.
Early-to-mid Elvis was unmatched greatness. The Thomas boys were stunning and Steve and Elvis completed the picture. Bruce Thomas remains my fave bassist to this day...shame he couldn't have hung around.
As a kid my dad had a few compilation CDs that he burned from his computer and would play throughout the house on our big speakers or when he was driving around. He usually had at least one Elvis Costello song on each CD and those songs always stuck out to me even when I was just 8 or so. I liked the energy, the feel, the style. Now I'm 21 and I listen to EC on a daily basis and am an even bigger fan than my dad ever was. We had the joy of seeing him live a few times together and I'll always be thankful to my dad for showing me this absolute genius!
Well, I guess it's opinion, but still, this is definitely NOT his best concert; I've seen him several times when he'd grown a few years older, wasn't going through the motions, took singing seriously, and wasn't drunk. And in a few years following this, he had lots of great melodies to pick from; In 1978, he had precious few.
Currently reading his book "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink," which puts this performance into a context I was not aware of . . . which is to say: he's pissed-off, pilled-up (which accounts for the tempos) and had been drinking more than necessary. A fabulous performance nonetheless. Also, if I may . . . what a ripping guitar tone! Go El!
I was at this concert. It's a little short for a headlining act at 51 minutes, but EC & The Attractions didn't have much of a repertoire at that point. Not much lead guitar by EC, but he took these very effective short burst solos. The composite was great with Steve playing great keyboards throughout the show, He was particularly strong on organ, Bruce was wonderful on bass as he almost plays a lead bass at times and Pete's drumming was impeccable. Nick Lowe opened and he very generously let Dave Edmunds take the lead vocals on 3 or 4 songs in a very strong 10 or 11 song set. This was the beginnings of Rockpile, with Billy Bremner on second guitar behind Edmunds and Terry Williams on drums. Also on the bill was a guy who sang a song or two about Spanish Harlem (I forget his name). He was terrible. Costello & Lowe/Edmunds were great!!!
It was generosity that Nick Lowe let Dave Edmunds sing. They a band and the first few times they came over to the states they would alternate between Mick Lowe and Rockpile, then Dave Edmunds and Rockpile until finally just Rockpile. They were a great band. I saw this show and also saw Rockpile a few weeks earlier at the Bottom Line
I first saw him 81. Had already mellowed. This version from Dec 77 to May 79 was on fire, clearly doing speed often. 1977 to 1979 you had several bands at peak power. Pistols, Attractions, Clash, Pretenders, Jam.
Oh My Gosh! This is thevey best music I have heard in some time! Elvis, please never stop singing. This concert is freakin gold my friend! I know and love evey song tha you sing. Don't stop, don't yah stop, don't yah stop, don't yah stop...
I joined the Marines in ‘76 to see the world. They sent me to Yuma Az for 3 years. What to do but get buzzed and listen to Elvis all day long? Smart music.
was lucky to see them when they were still young, raw and passionate. when music was great, fresh and new. this gives me the chills and smiles. great post. where is the artists like this today.
+Aaron Ach Yea, like a amazing rock and roll time machine. This show is really great...I had been to the capitaol theatre many times in the mid 70s, but somehow never saw the "new wave" of rock hit from 78-early 80s. And now I can! Although some of the intentionally cheesy organ sounds on this are a little too much for me at this point. (Although they always worked in the early XTC stuff)
I was at this concert, and my only memory was how he refused to play "Pump It Up" as an encore, even though the audience was stamping their feet and calling for it. I remember feeling the theatre floor shaking from all the foot stomping. It felt like the theatre might collapse from all the vibrations, and still no "Pump It Up." I can see all that has been edited out from this video recording.
I turned 21 in 1978 and it was a great decade. Great music. I saw E Costello once in KCMO and once in Omaha. What a helluva year for myself and my friends that were at the shows with me. Damn, I've got gray hair 21 now but I'll never forget these concerts.
The second live band I saw and on this 1978 tour, Newcastle City Hall UK, front row. I had just turned 13 yrs old, my older brother took me. The first was Nils Lofgren the year before. Not a bad start to my live gig experience.
Wow! Thanks so much for posting. I was at this show, the first of many times seeing EC in concert. What a lineup before him as well. Nick Lowe with Rockpile and Mink DeVille. An Amazing Night!
They were a great live band back then. They played a UK tour of small venues. Saw them in Margate, Kent. Great gig, a really well-balanced set and a clean sound. Costello had a good line on banter too.
I was at this show. Still one of the best concerts I've ever witnessed. I'm very appreciative of these Capitol Theatre tapes here on RUclips as I saw many great concerts there. I would ask whomever it is that's posting them if the video exists of Nick Lowe & Rockpile from this show. They were so good, it was insane. If the video exists, I BEG of you to post it. Thanks!
The Capitol Theatre films are a priceless treasure - rare chances to see the greatest musicians when they were young, raw, in a small simple setting, often before anybody knew who they were.
The world is a better place because of Elvis Costello.
I totally agree.
He’s the greatest post-Beatles songwriter, period.
Elvis Costello will be the one the who play music the longest in the rock history. Probably until 90 plus years old......I hope!!!
Let's not forget Frank Zappa !!
@@patrickbrownson1 Thank you for saying so....♥♥♥
we are the first generation who can re-watch concerts from 40 years ago. I never imagined that may be possible.
real concerts
How fortunate we are.
Watching 4 angry young men melting minds...ferocious
It's amazing the amounts of concerts are oñ RUclips, especially the Zappa ons
Doug Smith q
I was 17 in 1978 and loved him now I am 62 and still love his music
Ditto Brother … TY for Throating That ☮️❤️🧨& MUSIC
Same, more or less...
I was 18 years old when I started listening to Elvis in Japan and now I am 56 years old living in Oregon for 30 years listening to Elvis entire the U.S. lifetime.❤😂🎉😮🎉😂❤
God this is fantastic. My daughters best friend is one of costellos granddaughters. Star struck
back in the reo journeywagon era elvis was a breath of fresh air.
Elvis Costello changed my life. Renewed my faith in humanity and music
I remember back when I was 16, and my then-18 and legal-to-have-fun brother (19 days before my birthday, the legal drinking age went up to age 21, and has remained that ‘legal’- legal drinking age in Michigan envied his good luck: he could drink alcohol-legally and he was having the time of his life hooting it up in the bars (what returned to our childhood home; and on a break from ‘being a freshman’ at CMU
Yes . when l heard literate anger, attracted me.
Haha, literate anger. Marvelous.
Same
This why Elvis is King~!
My sister worked here and I got to hang backstage and meet Mr.McManus and bandmates! Lost my mind and was the coolest 14 year old eva! Still got it and so do they!!!
one of the best 2 or 3 backing bands in the history of rock. Period. Tight and killer punch. This Year's Model is smoking hot. Steve Nieve's insane keyboard is definitely the bands signature sound.
I agree..I bought This years model the week it came out and can still remember walking round in the sun singing 'there's no action'...an amazing period in time..I remember my mate said his sister was dating the keyboard player ar that time..I never knew if that was true or not..she was probably one in a long line! :D
Killer live band! Just incredible!
So true and appreciate your mentioning This Year's Model -- it's as stellar a record as anyone has ever made, seems to be very rarely mentioned in his catalog, still holds all the venom.
What are the other 1 or 2?
@@paullad3919 Elton's band, Heartbreakers, almost any of the Zappa bands. Zappa's band's were insane musicians
Drumming master class
Pete was tight. Tight as a drum
I see them the very next day at the Palladium in NYC. I saw the late show he came on at like three in the morning. Great show!!
Northern soul, combined with the spirit of late 70's new wave at it's best!!! Fantastic live performance, the camera only concentrated on the musicians and their ability, to set their songs on fire! Spirit, emotions, motivation on stage, from a bunch of pale englishmen with black souls...a day to remember!!!
An invaluable record for human cultural history -- love this man period.
Elvis before he got civilized. The way he says "youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" on Lipstick Vogue is priceless. Unstylized unvarnished new wave before it became a brand name.
Three stations “eeraaaasssst”
'Lipstick vogue' was the track that blew me away when I first bought 'this years model' back in 1978...and 'there's no action' remember so clearly singing it all the time (seemed to be sunny all the time too) :D...maybe coz it was...bought the remaster a few years ago and once again WOW!!! I just went back to being 15 again!
What a rhythm section. Right up there with Moon/Entwistle. Wow.
+Lefty Bass the wailers .
100% agree, although with the Attractions it’s kinda the reverse: Bruce Thomas’s bass lines are virtuosic and flashy like Keith Moon’s drumming, and Pete Thomas’s drums are just like Entwistle’s bass playing- they are the absolute center of the whole enterprise, without which everything would fall apart. Not to say that both Pete Thomas or Entwistle weren’t capable of some stunning complexity, but they are both kinda the backbones of their respective bands.
@@patrickbrownson1 ~ Interesting take. I think The keyboards add another texture to the rhythm section. Steve deftly moves from supporting the melody/harmony to punctuating the rhythm.
Jackie 42 I agree! Steve added the musical element that made the Attractions stick out the most, with his classically trained fingers working very hard to play dirty, dissonant organ figures and simple stabs of synth. I’ve always felt that his restraint is as impressive as his capacity for complexity, and the former certainly makes the latter stand out. I also loved learning, from Elvis’s autobiography, of how Steve Nieve got his stage name: after being warned against further interactions with a “groupie”, he responded, “What’s a groupie?”. He was not made for rock n’ roll, but Elvis put him in the mix anyway, and that innocence and wonder comes through in his playing. 👍🏻
@@patrickbrownson1 Really well said! I was fortunate to run into Nieve and Pete at a bar on the band's off-night following a 1980 gig in San Francisco. I told him I admired his baroque flourishes and that he entertained the hell out of me, and he really seemed to like hearing that.
Fantastic share I'm a proud second generation Costello fan. My parents didn't name me Allison for the heck of it. I cried like a baby when I saw and heard him sing my song with my father here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
I've seen him live as well. Fantastic performer' singer and songwriter!!!!
So have I , At Southampton Gaumont in 1981
Allison Burke good thing you were female if you were a boy you may have been named Oliver
@@oiyabastard7275 and had an Army following her. theyre on their way ya know lol
Very nice. Saw him ‘83 and 2019, 36 years and not a bad dropoff. That’s impressive.
Elvis was one of the most exciting performers I ever saw. Winterland, San Franscisco 1978. Right up there with Elvin Bishop, Tower of Power and Ray Campi and the Rockabilly Rebels.
My night school psychology teacher took the class to this very show.my first concert ever.blew my mind.long live costello and my professor.
"Night School Psychology Teacher" sounds like an Elvis song title.
@@NickOLarse999 😎
So he/she was like, "look, guys, I know we're supposed to have class tonight, but there's this show I really want to see, who wants to come?" Awesome. I should try that move.
Angels was the first EC song I heard. Like a face full of cold water. stunned me.
I always wondered how the Attractions actually were in live performance. I always had the studio recordings, most of which are incredible. but finally I see now they kicked ass live. EC was lucky to have them, something that he acknowledges more so nowadays, if you read his autobiography. but we must also acknowledge that w/o EC's prolific pen & unmistakable voice, none of us would be here now watching this.
I agree completely. Studio recordings don't come near their live shows in energy. Even in this video, each player is putting it all out there. I think Steve's keyboards are mixed slightly high and Bruce's bass a tad low, but realize that EC wasn't a virtuoso guitarist. He needed the band to fill out the sound - and holy crap, did they ever.
Four hungry young men conducting a musical seminar in MELTING MINDS.
The 77-80 EC & A live shows were unbelievable
@@chasbodaniels1744 No, I agree with you. Elvis is about as good as Cobain during this period. He is better now but still not great. But his intense, emotional signing....no one else sounds like that or can do what he can do emotionally with a song. His voice is a match for that band..and at this point he was saying "who the fuck cares about guitar solos". It's monumental in this period.
Pete Thomas just a beast. Hard to put into words how original they were.
Billy Cobham was the oultimate beast
this concert was a few days before my 1st birthday. I live 2 towns away from where the Capitol Theater was. WHY WAS I BORN TOO LATE?!
my fuck I adore Elvis.
This is great! Young, beautiful, genius 😍🤩
In 1978 there were three bands to see. The Sex Pistols (because they were a train wreck), Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on the Darkness tour snd Elvis Costello. They were the only artists that mattered at the time.
Saw Elvis-Joe Jackson-Graham Parker-They were all fast-non stop -pretty much no crowd interaction shows that were done in less than an hour. They were exhausting because of that and always left you wanting more. But when these guys were done-they were done and off stage in seconds-no lingering or coming back for numerous encores. Their attitude is we gave you what you came for-Good night.
This is the best!!!! The best tightest band....and his lyrics....he has this gift.......but man...this was the time for the music!!!!!!
Pete Thomas was an outrageously great drummer.
still is
This drummer can rock. Great fills. Drums sound great.
New fucken Jersey. Crushed it Declan.
OMG...this was breathtaking new music when it came out and I was totally smitten. Got to see Elvis Costello and the Attractions at the Stone Pony in Asbury park...we didn't have tickets and had to wait until the ticket holders came in. So in the interim, the group of us shivering in the cold it was like January or February, took turns going into the dive bar next door. I laughed and said wouldn't it be funny if they came in here...and they did! Got to meet the band...they were young and fun just like my friends and me...Elvis was in his Angry Young Man form and totally detached sitting at the bar eating a hamburger. Just found this fabulous concert and I am able to relive one of the most fun concerts by listening to this one (at the Stone Pony, I got to sit on the little stage...you can't do that now LOL). What a fabulous band!
Third time I caught Elvis was at the House of Blues In Nawlins.Standing in line before the show I noticed a door was open. After peaking inside I snuck in and stayed in the dark. The band was warming up with Whats so funny bout peace love and understanding. I had a perfect view. I stayed and heard the entire song and snuck out undetected. My brush with greatness.I was gobsmacked.
Their is only one KING, but this Elvis can Rock😎 tooo cool!
I love this drummer when people were getting into metal bands I was into Elvis C . .crowded house b52$ REM. SPLIT ENDS .
Unbelievable I s was at this show and now here it is 31 years later to relive.
* 41 years later
This Year's Girl - channeling Ringo / Ticket to Ride on the drums.
Absolutely
I loooove young Elvis. He has a passion, a backup band, and a skillset sans égal.
Ahh shit this was a fantastic set! Punk Attractions will probably always be my favorite.
Amazing. Elvis Costello is the BEST!!!!
Smashed it. A proper geezer. Always ahead of his time.
The bassist are so good,and the jazzmaster guitar is very beautiful
Dear RUclips,
Do you have to put a DAMN commercial smack dab in the middle of “This Year’s Girl”? You couldn’t just time it until the song was over?
I was there. Remarkable show.
Pete effing Thomas!
Jill Curran RIIIIGHT?????
+Jill Curran A Fucking Dynamo!
ClueSign PT rules the bass! Sad he and Elvis fell out so harshly after such great work together. Elvis probably wouldn't have made it so big without the Attractions who were great live and in the studio. Pete on Punch the Clock is off the hook!
Doh! I'm talking about Bruce Thomas.
Bruce Thomas should get more credit for his bass playing, even though he is a bit of a hero in bass playing circles.
Bassists definitely know about Bruce.
Most of my warmup etudes are BT basslines
@@totalrobot Pump it up all by itself will make a person a bass player.
Genius
"SHES FILING HER NAILS AS THEY DRAG THE LAKE " Amazing lyrical genius , for the tunes all thanks to the E Costello band .
A musical Genius in his prime. Thanks for posting.!
When I interviewed Cyndi Lauper once, she blessed my pregnant belly cuz I knew she’d named her son Declan after Elvis. I’ve seen Elvis at least 15 times in my life and every time was amazing. Thx for posting these videos!
Lipstick vogue, one of the best new wave tracks ever!!! Doors meet the speed of the british punk rock explosion...
This Years Models encapsulates the late 70's post modern sound. a unique and engaging sound with apropros lyrics.
finally something interesting to Watch.
that version of 'no action'!!! holyholy
I always associate Steve’s organ music with a fairground….creepy but oh, so effective…
amazing...thanks so much for this upload.....and yes, I was there.
Golden era for EC -the first five albums are brilliant 🎉🎉🎉❤
I am in the crowd 13 years old one of the great places to watch artists.
I was there and they were AMAZING !!!
What a voice...
I saw him in April 79. He walked on the stage and just started playing. Very little interaction with the audience. And i love it. Definitely had the angry guy routine down pat. Thanks for posting this, great memories.
Ipswich ?
Pete Thomas has boundless energy, especially on Lipstick Vogue.
Early-to-mid Elvis was unmatched greatness. The Thomas boys were stunning and Steve and Elvis completed the picture. Bruce Thomas remains my fave bassist to this day...shame he couldn't have hung around.
Transition from Lipstick Vogue to Detectives is amazing. This is how I best remember Elvis. A thousand thanks for posting!
As a kid my dad had a few compilation CDs that he burned from his computer and would play throughout the house on our big speakers or when he was driving around. He usually had at least one Elvis Costello song on each CD and those songs always stuck out to me even when I was just 8 or so. I liked the energy, the feel, the style. Now I'm 21 and I listen to EC on a daily basis and am an even bigger fan than my dad ever was. We had the joy of seeing him live a few times together and I'll always be thankful to my dad for showing me this absolute genius!
When you would go to see EC and not breathe for 45 minutes, cause they took your breath away and you didn't even notice.
And, their 46min set was all you could absorb...any more songs and you'd blow a gasket...relentless and ferocious
@@dougsmith7083 Especially after Lipstick Vogue
Maybe the best Elvis concert ever. Raw. Immediate. Relevant. Are you also Waiting for the End of the World?
Well, I guess it's opinion, but still, this is definitely NOT his best concert; I've seen him several times when he'd grown a few years older, wasn't going through the motions, took singing seriously, and wasn't drunk. And in a few years following this, he had lots of great melodies to pick from; In 1978, he had precious few.
I was at this show. 3rd row center. KILLER !
I saw him at 14 in july of 78 in winnipeg
Currently reading his book "Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink," which puts this performance into a context I was not aware of . . . which is to say: he's pissed-off, pilled-up (which accounts for the tempos) and had been drinking more than necessary. A fabulous performance nonetheless.
Also, if I may . . . what a ripping guitar tone! Go El!
Holy shit, thanks for sharing this. "I'm Not Angry" is transcendent.
Andy Mergendahl I'm not angry; I'm enraged.
I'm so glad this footage exists. Thanks for posting. Greetings from Sydney. What a band ! What songs !
the massively talented E.C., and his band were immense, stunning video
Thanks for this.
Wow never heard that fiest verse of Less Than Zero! Amazing
I was at this concert. It's a little short for a headlining act at 51 minutes, but EC & The Attractions didn't have much of a repertoire at that point. Not much lead guitar by EC, but he took these very effective short burst solos. The composite was great with Steve playing great keyboards throughout the show, He was particularly strong on organ, Bruce was wonderful on bass as he almost plays a lead bass at times and Pete's drumming was impeccable. Nick Lowe opened and he very generously let Dave Edmunds take the lead vocals on 3 or 4 songs in a very strong 10 or 11 song set. This was the beginnings of Rockpile, with Billy Bremner on second guitar behind Edmunds and Terry Williams on drums. Also on the bill was a guy who sang a song or two about Spanish Harlem (I forget his name). He was terrible. Costello & Lowe/Edmunds were great!!!
Mink DeVille was horrible? I was at this show as well and Mink Deville was great!
It was generosity that Nick Lowe let Dave Edmunds sing. They a band and the first few times they came over to the states they would alternate between Mick Lowe and Rockpile, then Dave Edmunds and Rockpile until finally just Rockpile. They were a great band. I saw this show and also saw Rockpile a few weeks earlier at the Bottom Line
I first saw him 81.
Had already mellowed.
This version from Dec 77 to May 79 was on fire, clearly doing speed often.
1977 to 1979 you had several bands at peak power.
Pistols, Attractions, Clash, Pretenders, Jam.
Elvis started to change after that idiotic "Ray Charles" incident. He was never like this after that.
Mounster drums and super stile!! Thanks Elvis
I wish I had been at this concert!
Oh My Gosh! This is thevey best music I have heard in some time! Elvis, please never stop singing. This concert is freakin gold my friend! I know and love evey song tha you sing. Don't stop, don't yah stop, don't yah stop, don't yah stop...
a peak performance by a young EC!
I joined the Marines in ‘76 to see the world. They sent me to Yuma Az for 3 years. What to do but get buzzed and listen to Elvis all day long? Smart music.
Are you kidding me? This is such good old footage!
Been listening to him from the start of his career and always look to another amazing album, I’ll be getting his latest two “Covid albums”.
was lucky to see them when they were still young, raw and passionate. when music was great, fresh and new. this gives me the chills and smiles. great post. where is the artists like this today.
Great stuff. Elvis raw!
Holy crap! Where has this video been all my life?!
Thanks for sharing it!
+Aaron Ach Yea, like a amazing rock and roll time machine. This show is really great...I had been to the capitaol theatre many times in the mid 70s, but somehow never saw the "new wave" of rock hit from 78-early 80s. And now I can! Although some of the intentionally cheesy organ sounds on this are a little too much for me at this point. (Although they always worked in the early XTC stuff)
Rich Lindsay can you imagine being there man life sucks now
IN 76 WHEN MY AIM IS TRUE,CAME OUT PEOPLE LAUGHED AT ME FOR LIKING ELVIS COSTELLO,WHO,S LAUGHING NOW??
Ditto. I was obsessed with everything about him and the band and everyone thought I was insane.
I was at this concert, and my only memory was how he refused to play "Pump It Up" as an encore, even though the audience was stamping their feet and calling for it. I remember feeling the theatre floor shaking from all the foot stomping. It felt like the theatre might collapse from all the vibrations, and still no "Pump It Up." I can see all that has been edited out from this video recording.
I turned 21 in 1978 and it was a great decade. Great music. I saw E Costello once in KCMO and once in Omaha. What a helluva year for myself and my friends that were at the shows with me. Damn, I've got gray hair 21 now but I'll never forget these concerts.
Incredible songs. . First saw him on this tour in San Francisco at Winterland.
The second live band I saw and on this 1978 tour, Newcastle City Hall UK, front row. I had just turned 13 yrs old, my older brother took me. The first was Nils Lofgren the year before. Not a bad start to my live gig experience.
Elvis has so much charisma!
Wow! Thanks so much for posting. I was at this show, the first of many times seeing EC in concert.
What a lineup before him as well. Nick Lowe with Rockpile and Mink DeVille.
An Amazing Night!
+Edward Matuszewski aw! poor guy, he was good
Love Mink Deville! I wonder what happened ever to Toots....she was so much of that time I can't imagine her ever being other than she was.
I caught that tour but at the old Academy of Music on 14th st, in NYC> No words
actually rockpile nor mink deville opened this show, it was the Rubinnoos, i was 13 and it was the second "concert" i ever saw...
just discovered ec. im a math rock fan and damn im gotta say this is mathy w/ the chord changes and rythym . how did i pass this over for so long
They were a great live band back then. They played a UK tour of small venues. Saw them in Margate, Kent. Great gig, a really well-balanced set and a clean sound. Costello had a good line on banter too.
The sound is amazing. Awesome. Some of the best versions of these songs I have ever heard.
La totale ! J'y étais en 1978. Whaou souvenir ...
steve nieve!
I was at this show. Still one of the best concerts I've ever witnessed. I'm very appreciative of these Capitol Theatre tapes here on RUclips as I saw many great concerts there. I would ask whomever it is that's posting them if the video exists of Nick Lowe & Rockpile from this show. They were so good, it was insane. If the video exists, I BEG of you to post it. Thanks!
Saw my share also. What a venue!
Yep Nick Lowe and Rockpile with Dave Edmunds were amazing as the opening act
I saw Rockpile in that era and they have to be in conversation for greatest live band.
@@dannymoulton4829 yep I saw the six times in a short period of time and they were a great rock n roll band
I was at this show too!!
Excellent sound quality, thanks for uploading.
I saw EC on the stiff tour . He never made a bad song
Elvis Costello is criminally underrated as a guitar player, yes he's a genius songwriter but he really owns that Fender Jazzmaster!
So young! Hardly remember these days of his look. He really took the new wave music by storm. excellent upload. thanks!
he's actually nice to hear and watch simultaneous he can bring it all together just right