Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
At first glance and maybe even second, the concert pairing of Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello may have seemed like an odd one.
The former was once part of Hall & Oates (that relationship has gone way south as the two are locked in a court battle), meaning radio friendly, sometimes blue eyed soul songs with a dose of froth layered atop for good effect.
Costello, on the other hand, part of the New Wave originally before morphing into a singer/songwriter artist with a lot of bite and diverse musical tastes.
When all was said and done, the glue that seemed to hold Hall and Costello together (they never shared the stage) was that both leaned heavily on their past hits from decades ago.
For Costello, that may have been a good thing because almost exactly a year ago playing the same venue, the song selection leaned way too heavily on the unfamiliar with Costello not being in good vocal form either in far too long of a show.
Perhaps Costello felt the same way because he started off with the one-two punch of the keyboard driven playing of Costello mainstay Steve Nieve on "Pump It Up" before another staple, "Watching the Detectives."
Decked out in a suit and a white hat, Costello took liberties with some of the arrangements ("Mystery Dance") keeping them just familiar enough without sounding like mere copies of the original.
He also played a new song while seated at the piano, "A Face in the Crowd," an upcoming London musical for which he wrote the music and lyrics.
In addition to Nieve, Costello had a well-oiled backing band in The Imposters: drummer Pete Thomas, bassist Davey Farragher and guitarist Charlie Sexton. The rhythm section was strong, and Sexton, a fine guitarist in his own rite, nevertheless, filled the musical gaps without overdoing it.
Costello may have gone back in time to close his show with "Alison" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding," but one day after the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump, the words rang even more true.
Hall was all about the hits – for the most part. With the keyboards going off, he kicked off his 80-minute set, with "Maneater," one of a bunch of hits that he would go onto play.
Some were keepers – like "Rich Girl" – and others "Kiss on My List" remain catchy, of course, but not exactly destined for posterity except among fans.
And there were plenty of them as well with a large portion of the crowd there to see Hall, now 77.
He doesn't have the vocal range of his halcyon days. Nor is he able to hit the high notes, but he's quite a good piano player (he also played guitar), and he benefitted immensely from his supple backing quintet. They sometimes supplied five-part harmony, making a few of the songs sound downright gorgeous.
The highlight was "Every Time You Go Away," a Hall & Oates song, but one that was a big hit for British singer Paul Young. Hall gave it a good reading, and the band simply kicked in.
Like Costello, Hall played one new song from his first new disc in years, "D." Hall, a somewhat awkward performer at least with his stage patter, told the crowd that if they liked this song, they'd like the album, which he said he was very proud of.
He had reason to be because the song held up with his hits. Like many veteran musicians, Hall is in a bind. He may want to play new material, but it tends to be the hits of yesteryear that brings the fans to the door. So, artists have to tread lightly.
Each in his own way of relying on the past, Costello and Hall delivered the goods. The odd may not have been so odd after all.