Notes

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Elvis Costello fans will want to seek out this special edition, five-disc box set recorded between May 14 and May 22 of last year. Costello and Attractions' keyboardist Steve Nieve set out on a five-city tour that coincided with the release of Costello's latest studio effort, All This Useless Beauty. Each disc includes selections from a different city on the tour, and the total package contains about two hours of live material.

There isn't a weak point here, as each song is performed with grace and style. It's hard to believe this is the same person who switched tunes mid-song in his first appearance on Saturday Night Live. The San Francisco show even includes a wonderful cover of The Grateful Dead's Ship of Fools, which Costello had recorded for the Deadicated album.

Regular readers of this newsletter may remember the review of the show at the Park West in Chicago. Tapes of this show are readily available thanks to local radio station WXRT's two broadcasts of the entire performance. But this set is still worth picking up due to the outstanding sound quality, perfect performances, and excellent song selections.