What do Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello have in common that would lead to a co-headlining North American summer concert tour, which made a stop at Radio City Music Hall? Despite their proximity in age (Hall is 77 and Costello will be 70 next month), and the era of their exposure to music audiences, Hall & Oates and Elvis Costello probably did not get heavy rotation on the same radio stations. Hall, when teamed with his former collaborator John Oates, enjoyed a string of pop-soul radio hits from 1975 to 1985. Elvis Costello has never had a hit single in the United States, but nevertheless has retained a substantial American audience since his debut during the British punk-rock wave in the late 1970s. These parallel lines only connected in 1984, when Hall contributed harmony vocals to a Costello recording, “The Only Flame in Town,” and appeared in the accompanying video.
Declan Patrick MacManus OBE, known professionally as Elvis Costello, had the tour’s opening slot. Billed as Elvis Costello & the Imposters featuring Charlie Sexton, the band returned to its usual quintet format at Radio City Music Hall. Earlier in the tour, both bassist Davey Faragher and guitarist Charlie Sexton called out sick, leaving Costello to perform only with his longest-running team mates, drummer Pete Thomas and pianist Steve Nieve.
With no new album to promote, the 90-minute opening set included many of Costello’s best-known songs and some deep cuts, mostly from his solo albums and his earlier albums with Elvis Costello & the Attractions. “Pump It Up,” “Watching the Detectives,” and “Everyday I Write the Book” remained close to their original arrangements. Later in the program, the band re-imagined and extended segments of three songs in a row – “Mystery Dance,” “Clubland,” and “Alison.” Aside from the more familiar songs, Costello and his band also performed lesser-known songs, including “A Face in the Crowd,” which Costello wrote for the upcoming London musical of the same name, and a cover of Mose Allison’s “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy.” The set concluded, as most Costello shows do, with a rousing cover of Brinsley Schwarz’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”
Daryl Franklin Hohl, known professionally as Daryl Hall, has been in the news in recent months not because of new music, but because he is suing John Oates, attempting to block his former partner from selling his share of the duo’s Whole Oats Enterprises to music publisher Primary Wave Music. Hall does have a new album, however, having released his sixth solo album, D, on June 21. He sang one song, “Can’t Say No to You,” from the album during his encore but, like Costello, Hall relied on his catalog of familiar songs.
“Been a while since I’ve been in this room,” Hall said towards the beginning of his performance. “Seems kind of formal; we’ll make it work.”
Like Costello, Hall needed a few songs for his vocals to settle into a warm space. He started the show center stage playing guitar and, after the initial songs, abandoned the guitar for his piano. As the show progressed, Hall’s musicians began taking more spotlights, much like on his Live from Daryl’s House series. “Rich Girl,” “Kiss on My List,” and “Private Eyes” sounded much like on the original recordings, but with the ensemble’s extended play time replacing Oates’ harmonic parts. The softer and smoother “Everytime You Go Away,” “Sara Smile,” and “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” held fast to the swoon factor. For the encore, Hall and band jammed on the driving Hall and Oates song “You Make My Dreams.”
Hall and Costello’s performances showed that neither is at the top of their game, yet they still put on a viable concert, especially when the repertoire is anchored on their 20th century catalogs. Yet, even at the end of the night, the pairing of Hall and Costello on the same bill seemed odd. The majority of the audience came to see Hall perform the Hall and Oates catalog. A woman sitting next to this journalist intentionally went into a deep sleep as Costello began his set and came back to life during Hall’s set. Costello usually fills large venues as a headliner, and so as many as a few hundred of his fans left during intermission or shortly after Hall began his set. If Costello and Hall had performed “The Only Flame in Town” together onstage, the song would have closed the circle from their collaboration 40 years ago. Instead, the night was simply two concerts for the price of one. I can go for that.
Elvis Costello & the Imposters Setlist
- Pump It Up (Elvis Costello & the Attractions cover)
- Watching the Detectives (Elvis Costello song)
- No Flag (Elvis Costello song)
- We Are All Cowards Now (Elvis Costello song)
- Green Shirt (Elvis Costello & the Attractions cover)
- No Reason to Quit (Dean Holloway cover, two verses) (>)
- Indoor Fireworks (Elvis Costello song)
- Wonder Woman (Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint cover)
- Everyday I Write the Book (Elvis Costello & the Attractions cover)
- A Face in the Crowd (Elvis Costello song)
- Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy (Mose Allison cover)
- Mystery Dance (Elvis Costello song)
- Clubland (Elvis Costello & the Attractions cover, with bit of the Specials’ “Ghost Town” and “Impatience”)
- Alison (Elvis Costello song, with “You’ve Been Cheating”)
- (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea (Elvis Costello & the Attractions cover)
- (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (Brinsley Schwarz cover)
Daryl Hall Setlist
- Maneater (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
- Dreamtime
- Foolish Pride
- Rich Girl (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
- Kiss on My List (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
- Private Eyes (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
- I’m in a Philly Mood
- Everytime You Go Away (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
- Sara Smile (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
- I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
- Can’t Say No to You
- You Make My Dreams (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)
