NP: Various Artists, Trippin' on Rhythms (MP3)

"I have just one thing to say about the Oscars. Fucking hobbits!" -- Elvis Costello, 16 March 2004

Who heckles Elvis Costello? I don't get it. Early in last night's show, some jackass called him an asshole between songs. The former Mr. McManus invited him up onto the stage so that they could settle their differences, which said audient declined, and generally handled the situation with aplomb.

The show itself, including heckler management, was fantastic (Thanks Weeza!). I expected a really low-key affair, given that North is all ballads, and this tour is in support of that record. However, as I should have come to expect by now, Costello is a master at reinterpreting his catalog for whatever sort of context he has on tour. The cabaret-from-hell reading of "Watching the Detectives" was deserving of adjectives I can't quite come up with right now, and indicative of what I'm talking about.

One more reason for me to have a crush on Wonkette, aside from the boots. See the last comment in the entry.

I'm hoping it's the weather, but man, my knees are feeling kinda funky, and not that good, Sly & the Family Stone funky, either. Could be a combination of the precipitation (I'm not gonna say the "s" word, although I'm not the sort to be surprised by it's presence in Chicago springtime) and the recent turns playing soccer again, but either way, it's a little disconcerting. Not painful, but just feeling, again, non-James Brown funky.

The Fire are getting their asses handed to them in Trinidad right now. Still another half to go, though, then the return leg on Wednesday, so all is not lost.

Last report is that Anto is still sans voce, so it'll be mostly trio tonight. I'm getting a lot of anti-St. Patrick's Day sentiment in the Chicago quadrant of the blogosphere, but I don't care so much this year, seeing as how it's been somewhat lucrative on the gigging front. The Sandwich Music King gig went okay today, with several experiments with on-the-fly muscle memory in an attempt to give the staff some songs they haven't heard yet.