Elvis Costello—Detour: Live at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall

Musical chameleon Elvis Costello—whose work encompasses New Wave, pop, jazz, country, and folk, among other genres—gets off to a somewhat shaky solo start in this 2015 performance filmed live at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, serving up three early hits—“Red Shoes,” “Watch Your Step,” and “Accidents Will Happen”—that all sound better as multi-instrument rockers rather than amplified acoustic guitar numbers (“Accidents,” in particular, is a trainwreck). But after switching guitars, Costello rebounds with stirring renditions of “Church Underground” and “45,” before shifting to the piano for a wonderful “Shipbuilding” and a blues variation on “I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down.” Costello performs 22 songs in total, joined on seven by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell—from American roots band Larkin Poe—who play lap steel guitar and mandolin, respectively. Performing on a set that vaguely resembles an early ‘60s living room with a giant TV screen (featuring pictures of Costello and family members), Costello occasionally breaks for long (and meaty) anecdotes about his grandfather and father (the latter played with the Beatles before the Queen, and is seen here in a great music video singing “If I Had a Hammer”). That these personal stories carry much more narrative weight than the usual between-songs patter from musicians is at least partially due to the fact that Costello recently released his nearly-700-page memoir Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink. In keeping with his Seeger-singing dad, Costello also comments on the plight of the working man in these economically disheveled times, particularly with the powerful “Jimmie Standing in the Rain” (which he closes by leaving the microphone, approaching the edge of the stage, and singing a plaintive bit of “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?”). Other highlights include a spot-on version of “Alison,” a fun “Side By Side,” and a rousing “(What's So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” (so energetic that Costello breaks a guitar string)—a song that seems to be eternally relevant, especially so in these saber-rattling times. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include four bonus songs. Recommended. (R. Pitman)