Elvis Costello, now 71 years old, took the stage at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday for what he noted was his 32nd appearance. “A couple of those times I was even welcome,” he joked. But the night, part of his Radio Soul! tour focusing on his early songs from 1976 to 1986, proved wildly inconsistent, with sound issues and a frayed voice undermining even his most beloved hits.
Bounding onstage in a blue jacket, waistcoat and gold winklepickers, Costello launched into an opening salvo of “This Year’s Girl” and “Mystery Dance”, backed by his long-standing band The Imposters – including original Attractions members Pete Thomas on drums and Steve Nieve on keyboards – plus Charlie Sexton on guitar. Yet from the outset, the sound mix was muddy and undefined. Sexton’s guitar was largely inaudible, and Costello’s voice, once scissor-sharp, often sat buried in the mix. When it did cut through, his singing was pitchy and a half-second off the beat, a habit that made his intricate, idiosyncratic lyrics difficult to discern.
“Elvis Costello's 32nd Royal Albert Hall show was marred by poor sound and erratic vocals, leaving even his classic hits feeling flat.”
Nowhere was this more apparent than in the reworked versions of his classics. “I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down” was performed in such a way that two audience members failed to recognise it until halfway through. “Alison”, his timeless ballad, was moved to mid-set after an audience request – “we normally play it and then we all go home, on your head be it,” Costello warned – but was underpowered and fell flat. “Everyday I Write the Book” lost its soulful pop in a heavy-handed rendition. He also slowed “Oliver’s Army”, replacing the offensive lyric with “one more widow, one more pallbearer”, gaining poignancy but losing urgency.
There were bright spots: a stripped-back country take on “Good Year for the Roses” and an elongated, thrilling noisescape on “Lovers Walk” seemed to finally engage the Monday-night crowd. And towards the end, a run of more faithfully recreated hits – “Less Than Zero”, “Oliver’s Army”, “Pump it Up” – prompted the room to respond in kind. But the damage was done. Watching Costello navigate songs rooted in youthful irreverence felt discordant, as if the singer had long outgrown them. The question lingers: how long can an angry young man continue?