the one promise about life is that it ends

so the question isnt what will you say in this life
its not what will you do in this life

its what you wont say

and what you wont do.

and why you didnt play that note. and why you didnt kiss that girl. and why you didnt tell the one you love that you love her.

elvis taught me so much last night

be in a country band. be in a classical band. be in a rock band. thats what he taught me.

but most of all be not only great at one thing, like songwriting

but be great at something else too, like singing.

he taught me its not about what it looks like, its what the end result is about. for example, who says you need a drummer.

likewise: why not cover a keefe song.

why not cover a new yorker’s classic tune with your country band, even if youre a brit.

he taught me that sometimes super special shows dont happen in a sold out house.

because, again, it doesnt have to look like how you think it has to look.

however a pinks hot dog should taste a certain way, like, not cold, for starters.

after seeing elvis costello at the greek last night

my priorities have drastically changed

he taught me that theres somethign to be said about tapping into yr genius

and striving for excellence via the magic of creativity.

he turned this song inside out last night and covered Lou Reed, Hank Williams, and Elvis Presley. and then reinterpreted a few of his own songs, and beautifully went through his new record with a country band

and no drummer.

so great.

so great

so great

update from the pop n hiss comments:

Elvis Costello & The Sugarcanes setlist:

Mystery Train (Parker/Phillips) / My All Time Doll / Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down (Merle Haggard) / Down among the Wine and Spirits / Blame It on Cain / Femme Fatale (Lou Reed/Velvet Underground) / The Delivery Man / The Butcher’s Boy (traditional) / Jailhouse Tears* / Happy* (The Rolling Stones) / Indoor Fireworks / Hidden Shame / Dragging Me These Last Few Yards** / Friend of the Devil (Grateful Dead) / Everyday I Write the Book / Five Small Words** (with a coda of Buddy Holly’s Not Fade Away) / She Was No Good / Brilliant Mistake
Encore: Red Cotton / The Crooked Line / (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes / Sulfur to Sugarcane / Complicated Shadows*** / The Scarlet Tide*** / The Race Is On (George Jones) / Alison (with a coda of Faron Young’s He’ll Have to Go)
* with Lucinda Williams, who wrote Jailhouse Tears
** unreleased song, title possibly incorrect
*** with T Bone Burnett