Elvis Costello Plays Merriam Theater Tonight

Elvis Costello embarks on SOLO East Coast U.S. Tour with Philadelphia Stop at Merriam Theater tonight, November 10 at 8 p.m. Costello's performance includes new work from Wise Up Ghost (released September 17, Blue Note Records), the collaborative album of Costello and The Roots, produced by longtime Roots associate Steven Mandel along with Costello and ?uestlove.

The 12-city East Coast tour is Costello's first major set of headlining solo dates in more than a decade kicking off in Burlington, Vermont on Nov. 2 and ending on Orono, Maine on Nov. 19.

Tickets are available for $46.50 to $76.50, and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, at the KimMel Center box office, Broad & Spruce streets (open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Elvis Costello has followed his musical curiosity in a career spanning more than 30 years. He is perhaps best known for his performances with The Attractions, The Imposters and for concert appearances with pianist Steve Nieve. Elvis Costello and The Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. During the same year he was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Founder's Award. There have also been a number of Grammy nominations for his recent albums When I Was Cruel and The Delivery Man.

Costello has also entered into acclaimed collaborations with Burt Bacharach, The Brodsky Quartet Paul McCartney, Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, guitarist Bill Frisell, composer Roy Nathanson, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, record producer and songwriter T Bone Burnett and Allen Toussaint. In addition, his songs have been recorded by a great number of artists. The list of performers reflects his interest in a wide range of musical styles: George Jones, Chet Baker, Johnny Cash, No Doubt, Solomon Burke, June Tabor, Howard Tate, the gospel vocal group The Fairfield Four, to name a few. In 2003, he began a songwriting partnership with his wife, the jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall, resulting in six songs included in her highly successful album The Girl In The Other Room.

In December 2008, Costello launched the inaugural season of his internationally acclaimed music television series Spectacle: Elvis Costello with.... A compelling blend of the best of talk and music television with an extraordinary and eclectic array of guests joining host Elvis Costello to chat, perform and share their passion for all kinds of music. First season's guests included: Sir Elton John, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, Julian Schnabel, Smokey Robinson, The Police (Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers), James Taylor, Herbie Hancock, Rufus Wainwright, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Diana Krall, John Mellencamp, Jakob Dylan, She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward), Norah Jones, Jenny Lewis, Renée Fleming and President Bill Clinton. The second season of Spectacle will begin airing in late 2009 and feature guests including Bono & The Edge, Neko Case, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Ron Sexsmith, Bruce Springsteen, to name a few.

On June 2, 2009 Hear Music released Costello's 'Secret, Profane & Sugarcane.' Produced by T Bone Burnett and recorded by Mike Piersante during a three-day session at Nashville's Sound Emporium Studio, 'Secret, Profane & Sugarcane' debuted at #13 on the Billboard 200, Costello's highest album chart position since 1980's Get Happy. Following its release, Costello toured extensively with the featured musicians on the album dubbed the Sugarcanes - Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Mike Compton, Jeff Taylor and Dennis Crouch.

To post a comment, you must register and login.