The fact Elvis Costello is still putting out music after neatly six decades removed from his debut is impressive enough. For the London-breed singer/songwriter to then embark on a tour in support of that record cements Costello as one of the hardest working musicians today. Costello is bringing his band The Imposters across the country on their The Boy Named If & Other Favorites tour, in support of their 2022 album of the same name. They kicked the tour off last night (August 4) in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater.
Costello started his career as the poster child of the newly formed Stiff Records back in the 70s. His debut album from 1977, My Aim Is True, had success in his home country of England and was one of the few Stiff Records releases that translated over to the states. He has released countless records, starting with his band The Attractions shortly after his solo debut, and in 1994 he switched his backing band up and started releasing albums as Elvis Costello & The Imposters.
Costello and The Imposters ran through a 21-song setlist that spanned Costello’s storied discography. They plucked songs from his solo material along with songs from the frontman’s time with The Attractions, performing hits like “Alison” and “Accidents Will Happen”. The band really seemed to lean into the “& Other Favorites” part of the tour, only performing seven songs from The Imposters’ discography.
About halfway through the night, Costello was joined by New Jersey rockstar Nicole Atkins for a string of four songs. Atkins first joined the band during their performance of “My Most Beautiful Mistake” and assisted The Imposters during “Still Too Soon To Know”, “I’ll Wear It Proudly”, and “You Belong To Me”.
Costello and The Imposters are hitting most of North America on this tour. Their next stop will be in Illinois before heading north for spots in Ohio, Canada, and New York.
Check out the full setlist, tour dates, and footage from last night’s show below:
Dates: https://tour.elviscostello.com
