well, i just got back from the roseland ballroom here in portland, after seeing elvis costello. terrific show. i have seen elvis regularly since 1981, and he definitely has gotten better in concert as the years go by. there are not many artists that you can say that about. roseland is a club, maybe 1200-1500 capacity. i got there fairly early, and when doors opened i was rewarded, by being belly to the stage, just to the right of center.
setlist:
1. next time around
2. uncomplicated
3. party girl
4. radio, radio
5. country darkness
6. bedlam
7. needle time
8. the name of this thing is not love
9. honey, are you straight, or are you blind
10. either side of the same town
11. i don't want to go to chelsea
12 clubland (with i feel pretty guitar solo)
13. sweet dreams
14. tonight the bottle let me down
15. the poisoned rose
16. kinder murder
17. the darkest place
18. when i was cruel
19. watching the detectives
20. the delivery man
21. monkey to man
22. button my lip
23. i can't stand up for falling down
24. high fidelity
25. pump it up
26. love that burns (fleetwood mac song)
27. hurry down doomsday
28. heart of the city (nick lowe song)
29. what's so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding
30. i want you
31. the scarlet tide

I saw him earlier this year in North Carolina. He changes the setlist with each show, other than a few staples here and there. It seems like he's really loving his "Blood and Chocolate" album right now- almost as much as his newest one!

jtgillia said:

+=+=+

yeah, i got the printed set list from the bass player, davey faragher, and for a lot of songs there are 2-3 alternatives given so that the gigs all be slightly different. i know that a lot of folks put a lot of store in a tour having a varied set list. for me the quality of songs is much more important than the variety, but it is nice. and, with his incredible past catalog, he has a lot of great material to chose from.

another thing that i've always loved about his gigs, are the cover versions. he regularly pulls out some really great stuff, i.e. "love that burns" from the portland show, an old fleetwood mac song. and, when i say old, i mean peter green fleetwood mac, pre stevie/lindsey.