It’s hard to believe it’s been over 48 years since Elvis Costello first burst onto the burgeoning UK music scene with his seminal debut album My Aim Is True way back in 1977. To this day, it stands as one of the most outstanding debut albums in the history of rock, a virtual smorgasbord of punky pub-rock ear-candy that proved to be highly influential and made Costello an overnight sensation.
But as we all know, Mr. Costello was only just getting started in his remarkable Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career that included an astounding 25 studio albums (and counting) to date, not to mention several compilation records and his work as a producer on classic albums by The Specials and The Pogues (just to name a few). And as impressive as his output over the years has been, if you were to ask your typical Costello fan about their favorite songs of his, it’s probably safe to assume the overwhelming majority would likely respond with material from the first half of his catalog (particularly his 70s albums). Suffice to say, those fans in particular were in for a special treat Thursday night, as Elvis Costello and The Imposters rolled into Chicago as part of their tour dubbed ”“Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello”.
Indeed, as the title implies, the band would be focusing on material from Costello’s earlier records, no doubt serving as an extra incentive for the thousands of fans who crammed into the famed Chicago Theater on October 16th, 2025, to witness the living legend himself, live and in person. And, as promised, Costello and his merry band of seasoned gentlemen (which included Charlie Sexton, the longtime touring guitarist for Bob Dylan), delivered the goods, kicking off their impressive two-and-a-half-hour set with “Mystery Dance” off Costello’s very first record. Of course, the hits didn’t stop there, as the band immediately dished out quality renditions of the forever balmy “This Year’s Girl”, followed by the 1-2 punch of “Lip Service” and “Less Than Zero” in short order.
As the set progressed, Costello would occasionally provide his patented sardonic commentary in between songs, like suggesting he didn’t have a crystal ball and wasn’t necessarily trying to predict the dystopian future we live in now back when he wrote songs like “Accidents Will Happen” and “Waiting for the End of the World”. His tongue-in-cheek observations and subtle (as well as not so subtle) jabs throughout the night were met with affirmation and amusement from the crowd, giving his performance a more affable touch overall.
But back to the music, although the band’s “aim was true” when it came to the setlist, featuring a slew of classic songs from Costello’s early years, they also managed to throw some interesting curve balls into the mix for good measure. That included a surprising cover of Johnny Cash’s “Cry! Cry! Cry!”, which was faithfully executed and sounded pretty great live, as well as an abridged cover of “Ghost Town” that was particularly cool to hear for this unabashed fan of The Specials.
Those detours and surprises helped give the overarching performance some nice variety on the whole, but the real highlights, of course, came when Costello played the hits, of which a pretty wicked rendition of “Watching the Detectives” particularly stood out. The main highpoints came towards the end of their set however, including a rightfully rad extended performance of “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” (which featured band introductions), along with the perpetually upbeat fan-favorite “Pump It Up”, and the always affirming “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding”, which couldn’t help but resonate more emphatically than usual, all things considered.
Overall, while it’s probably fair to say that Costello is no spring chicken anymore, he and his band nonetheless showed an admirable amount of endurance over the course of their two-and-a-half-hour set. It’s not every day you get to see a living legend live in concert, and it’s an added bonus when the legend in question turns in as good of a performance as Elvis Costello did at the Chicago Theater Thursday night. With only a handful of dates remaining for his Radio Soul tour in 2025, I would recommend catching Costello while you can if he’s coming to a city near you.
One Response
While aboard the California Zephyr en route to Chicago on Wednesday, I decided to read a few reviews of Elvis’ prior dates on his “Radio Soul” tour. The reviews were almost all negative, focusing on everything from his voice to the overall sound mix. After that, I approached the concert with an unexpected sense of trepidation. I was greatly pleased to encounter none of those shortcomings, and thoroughly enjoyed the show. As a bonus, Elvis was kind enough to sign my poster outside after the show.