High Fidelity

While Owen has been to a ton of concerts (vocal, instrumental, hootenannies, musicals, bluegrass festivals, the odd opera, and some things that defy labels), at 16 he still hadn't attended a "rock" concert (unless you count the Justin Roberts kindie-rock concert we took him to when he was five).  We're not sure that at this point in his career, Elvis Costello is still technically considered "rock," but Owen has been a fan since he inherited my ipod in elementary school which included all the hits, so when we heard he was coming to town with the Imposters, we made sure to get tickets.

Nora wasn't interested in attending, so it was just the three of us that headed to the Warner Theater after a leisurely dinner (maybe a little too leisurely as we arrived at 8:10 thinking the doors opened at 8:00 pm with an opening band when in fact that was when Elvis started playing). He played a number of hits – "Alison," "Radio Radio," "Watching the Detective," "Everyday I Write the Book," "Pump it Up," and the crowd favorite, "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding" – and a lot of slower numbers that I didn't really recognize (including an LBJ protest song). At 68, Elvis Costello's voice isn't what is was even 20 years ago (when I last saw him in-person), but he's still an incredible musician who played for 2 1/2 hours straight without a break and clearly had a lot of fun doing so. Not bad for a first rock show.