Costello proves he can still rock

The hardest part about being one of the best songwriters in the history of rock must be making a great set list. Elvis Costello doesn't seem to have a problem with this any more than he does writing great, roller-coaster vocal lines or getting a jangly guitar sound. \nCostello kicked off the set with classic songs from his era with The Attractions, and it was apparent that none of these had lost meaning over the years. From "I Can't Stand up for Falling Down" to the high energy "(I Don't Want to go to) Chelsea," Costello proved that he could still hit those odd, wonderful notes while showing that he knows where and when to scream. \nThough I'd take Bruce Thomas over just about any bassist, the Imposters created just as many new textures with David Faragher on bass guitar. Pete Thomas still hunches over the set like a mad ringleader, and Steve Nieve's superbly irritating, swirling keyboard sounds are the perfect counterpart to Costello's scratchy guitar sounds.\nIf he needed a testament to his ability for writing great songs, then Sunday night was it. About halfway through the show, a fire alarm went off, but it wasn't enough to make anyone leave. Everyone waited until Costello himself instructed the audience to leave until the problem was dealt with and added, "Those flashing lights aren't part of the show. It's not Pink Floyd." \nStill, I had the feeling that everyone would've stayed as long as the band played, even it meant standing through two and half hours of fire alarms in the background. Fortunately, the alarms stopped after a short intermission. \nFor possibly the first time in the history of rock, the audience didn't cringe on hearing "songs from the new album." Costello didn't even need to introduce them as the crowd sang along with his better new material, like "45" and "Tart."\nAmong the funnier moments were the 40-something couples dancing to songs like "I Want You," while the band was covered in dark purple lights and Costello stood out in the bright yellow lights, his crushed heart front and center. \nThe fast stuff was great, too. As "Radio, Radio" drifted into "Pump It Up" with Costello's old Fender Jaguar, I realized I was hearing one of the best two-song medleys in rock. The slow, acoustic songs and splices of classic R&B tunes like "Hold on Me" had their charm too, but as Costello says himself, it's so much easier when he's cruel. \nRivers Cuomo may be a more popular geek rocker nowadays, but I get the feeling that Costello could stumble up at age 70 and still teach him a thing or two. It would be a shame for so many of this generation to miss out, especially in a venue like the Murat. There's more of an intimate, almost club-like setting where you know he can hear you singing back and he knows there's no place to hide, but really, there's no need to.