Tuesday evening I had the treat of seeingย Elvis Costello, one of my favorite musicians since my teenage years, perform solo at one of my favorite venues, theย Louisville Palace.
For 145 minutes Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus in England in 1954) tore through his marathon set of 29 tunes โ old and new โ on his five acoustic guitars. With a discography of 33 albums, Costelloโs tune selections are legion.
Costello began his music career as part of Londonโs pub rock scene in the early 1970s. His father was a bandleader who grew his hair long and played songs about โpeace and love in Twickenham supper clubs in the 1960s,โ Costello told the audience. โMy father would say, โYouโre a disgrace to the family; grow your hair long.โโ
Though billed as a solo show, Costello invited Louisville native and My Morning Jacket singer and guitarist Jim James on stage for a few numbers, as well as local songstress Brigid Kaelin, who performed the musical saw and accordion.
Costello has played the Louisville Palace in the past and clearly was pleased to be back. Opened in 1928 as a Loewโs Theater, the Palace was designed by architect John Eberson to mimic an exotic Spanish courtyard, with dimly lit grottos and a deep midnight blue ceiling sprinkled with twinkling stars. Eberson designed the theater as part of a series of โatmosphericโ theaters โ with 100 movie palaces in dozens of states and even abroad.
Tuesday nightโs performance was constructed around a theme: โA Year in Exile,โ which Costello quipped about a few times. He also said a complementary theme was โthe last year of my youthโ and played a new tune of that name, which he says he still is writing. Costello, who will be 60 in August, reached for an electric guitar for that number in his encore.
16
Today my oldest son is 16 years old. In fact, he already is โ he was born at 6:25 in the morning on a Friday at Welborn Baptist Hospital (which closed the following year). When I checked into the hospital, I was surprised that my chart said I was allergic to latex. I was sent to a room with no carpet and special equipment; no maternity suite for me. This also meant no epidural for me.
Maxwell William Tucker was born the next morning, June 12. Like all of you with children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and pets โ we wonder where the years go.
Max has grown into a fine young man. Heโs a junior at Reitz Memorial High School and swims on the sectional-winning boysโ swim team. Most of his friends are driving. (Indiana drivers now wait until age 16 ยฝ to be licensed). Heโs young for his grade; he entered kindergarten two months after turning 5. Max has heavily researched the car he wishes to drive โ a 10-year-old German sports sedan.
Like his second cousin and best friend Brandt Hudson, who grew up in Tennessee and now lives in northwest Georgia, he is car crazy. Maxโs favorite entertainment personality is Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear, his favorite television show. Itโs a British television series begun in 1977 about motor vehicles; the irreverent Clarkson is one of the showโs extremely popular hosts.
Max began his birthday at morning swim team practice. Weโre taking him and his younger brother, Jackson, to lunch. This afternoon he will work at his summer job at the Holy Rosary baseball fields; he is earning money to contribute to the summer car purchase.
Your 16th birthday no longer means keys to the car โ but when itโs your oldest sonโs birthday, it sure does mark the years, and the car will come soon.
