Elvis Costello & The Imposters

A Tuesday night at the Capitol Theatre in Wheeling with Jack Wood, just a few rows back from the stage, for the kind of show I really look forward to — Elvis Costello working through his earliest, sharpest material with The Imposters and a guest you might not see coming on guitar.

The tour itself is the hook. Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello is exactly what it sounds like — Elvis spending the night reaching back into the late-'70s and early-'80s catalog that made his name. My Aim Is True, This Year's Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy!!, Trust, Almost Blue, Imperial Bedroom — the run that established him as one of the great songwriters of his generation. He's been touring relentlessly for almost fifty years, and getting a show that intentionally focuses on this specific window of his work is a real gift for fans.

The big thrill for me, beyond the songs themselves, was Charlie Sexton on guitar. Charlie's been one of my favorite players for a long time — Texas prodigy, "Beat's So Lonely" as a teenager, a long stretch in Bob Dylan's touring band — but it was his work in the Arc Angels that really got me. That early-'90s supergroup with Doyle Bramhall II and the Double Trouble rhythm section put out one record in 1992 and it might be one of the most underrated rock albums of the decade. "Living in a Dream" especially — Charlie's tone and feel on that song is just unbelievable. Watching him sit in with Costello and The Imposters, trading runs with Steve Nieve's piano, was a real treat. He fits into that band like he's been there for years.

The setlist was loaded. "Mystery Dance" opened, "Watching the Detectives" followed right behind, and from there it was a deep dive into the early catalog — "This Year's Girl," "Miracle Man," "Less Than Zero," "Green Shirt," "Little Triggers," "Accidents Will Happen," "Lipstick Vogue." Then a beautiful pivot in the middle of the show: a country interlude built around Almost Blue, the title track from his 1981 country covers record, leading into Hank Williams's "Why Don't You Love Me" and Buck Owens's "Cryin' Time." Costello's country side is one of the more underappreciated parts of his work, and getting an extended stretch of it in the middle of the show was one of the night's highlights. The back half came roaring out of the country break with "Clubland," "Everyday I Write the Book," "Radio Radio," "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea," a gorgeous "Alison," "Pump It Up," and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding" to close it out.

This was my third time seeing Elvis. The first was a club show at the Hard Rock in Orlando, and the second was when he opened for The Police on their farewell tour. Three different settings — amplitheater opener, intimate club, historic theater — and three different versions of Costello, each great in its own way.

A note on the venue, too. The Capitol Theatre in Wheeling is one of those rooms I have a long history with. I've been going to shows there since elementary school — symphony performances on field trips, then over the years David Copperfield, George Carlin, Rocky Horror screenings, and a long list of others. It's a beautiful old room with great acoustics and a real sense of place. Costello and The Imposters at the Capitol on a Tuesday night, a few rows from the stage, and Charlie Sexton on guitar — exactly the kind of show that makes me grateful for that building still being part of my life.