Elvis at Woodstock
Earlier tonight there was a power outage in and around the complex housing Apt. 104. Miami is in the grips of an early-season heat wave and I’m stranded for about an hour without air conditioning. Maybe it was a Florida Power & Light drill or something, I don’t know. All I know is that if/when hurricane season brings about lengthy power outages, it’s going to be brutal.Moving on....
The other night I found this recording of Elvis Costello at Woodstock ’99. The sound is great; at first I thought it was a commercial release. But after checking around, I’m pretty sure it’s not, so I’m going to post the whole thing for you. In 1999, Elvis set out on an acoustic tour, accompanied by longtime sideman Steve Nieve. In July of that year, they had the opportunity to play the ill-fated Woodstock ’99 Festival. The 30th anniversary of the original Woodstock is probably best remembered for the violence that erupted during the concert’s final hours on July 25.
Elvis took the stage early in the day on the 25th, to a less-than-enthusiastic crowd. Many seemed to have no idea even who he was. “I'm very bored,” SonicNet quoted one concert-goer as saying. “I don't know who this person is. I never heard of him.” That review went so far as to dub the crowd watching Costello as “listless,” and “apparently confused.”
That’s a damn shame. When I saw Elvis play live it was phenomenal – one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. Of course, in 1999 I would have been, um, maybe 10-15 years older than the average age of the average Woodstock attendee, so I would have known who Elvis was and appreciated his music.
So here’s the show – complete, I think, except the final encore of “Pump It Up.” Sorry no zip file. I kept getting error messages trying to upload it. Pads, Paws & Claws.mp3
Mystery Dance.mp3
Accidents Will Happen.mp3
(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea.mp3
New Amsterdam.mp3
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away.mp3
Veronica.mp3
Everyday I Write the Book.mp3
I'll Never Fall In Love Again.mp3
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes.mp3
Radio Sweetheart/Jackie Wilson Said.mp3
God's Comic.mp3
(What’s So Funny ‘bout) Peace, Love And Understanding.mp3
Alison.mp3
Labels: live music
posted by aikin @ 10:22 PM
2 Comments:
thanks for this- very enjoyable. i remember seeing part of this performance on tv.
Great stuff--saw him live in '88 and he did the Sweetheart/Jackie and Amsterdam/Hide medleys. Blew me away then and blows me away now. Thanks for putting them out there.
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