Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe Reunite For Summer’s ‘The Boy Named If & Other Favourites’ Tour

Mark Seliger – Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe reunite for select dates on tour for the first time since 1989 for “The Boy Named If & Other Favourites” this summer, launching at Rose Music Center at the Heights in Huber Heights, Ohio Aug. 6 and running through Sept. 3 in Las Vegas. More dates will be announced.

Costello & The Imposters headline, while Lowe & Los Straitjackets open the tour in most cities, in celebration of the release of Costello’s The Boy Named If. The tour also runs through markets including Toronto, New York City, Washington, D.C.; Denver, and Anaheim and Paso Robles in California. 

With his band, The Imposters – Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher – Costello will also be rejoined on stage by Texas guitarist Charlie Sexton, who also played the 22-date, “Hello Again” tour in October 2021, when six of the then unreleased songs, now heard on The Boy Names If were performed for the first time.

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 18th at 10am local time. Go to elviscostello.com

In the last three years, half of which was subsumed by the coronavirus pandemic, Costello has toured solo as well as with The Imposters, and in a co-bill with Blondie and averaged 2,622 tickets sold and a gross of $197,790

The Imposters have been Costello’s bandmates for the last 20 years or, as Costello put it recently, “Pete Thomas, Steve Nieve and I have been spinning around like your favorite 45 rpm for 45 years and, let’s be clear, Davey Faragher isn’t anyone’s deputy. The Attractions could have no more made The Boy Named If than we have any desire to time travel back to the 1970s. This is happening right now in 2022, we are coming at you, big as life and twice as ugly.”

 

Costello and Lowe have a long, glorious history, first meeting in 1972 in a pub across from The Cavern in Liverpool, England. Costello, then known as “D.P. MacManus” and his partner Allan Mayes were performing as a duo called “Rusty.” Many of their songs were written by Lowe for the band Brinsley Schwarz, including a number called “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding.”  

 

By 1976, Lowe was house producer and recording artist at Stiff Records – a small independent label in London. The newly named “Elvis Costello” was their first signing.

 

Lowe went on to produce Elvis’ debut album, My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces, Get Happy and Trust in just four years, during which Rockpile (with both Lowe and Dave Edmunds) were part of a U.S. package tour playing between Mink Deville and Elvis Costello & the Attractions.

 

Lowe returned to the studio for Elvis Costello & the Attractions’ last album of the ‘80s, Blood & Chocolate, before playing bass on the track, “Hurry Down Doomsday (The Bugs Are Taking Over)” in 1990 and then on five tracks of the 1993 album, Brutal Youth.

 

Nick Lowe’s songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Tommy McLain, Rod Stewart, Engelbert Humperdinck and Solomon Burke. His song “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love & Understanding”, first recorded by the Brinsleys in 1974, covered by Costello in 1978 and sung by Curtis Stigers on one the biggest selling movie soundtrack albums of all-time, The Bodyguard.

Lowe’s most successful U.S. single, “Cruel To Be Kind,” was another tune written by Lowe for the Brinsleys but released by Lowe in 1979.

Aside from his work as producer of The Damned, Graham Parker & The Rumour and John Hiatt, Lowe’s albums range from 1978’s, Jesus Of Cool, Labor of Lust and Rose Of England  through his work with Rockpile and Little Village to his trio of ballad albums: The Impossible Bird,  Dig My Mood’ and The Convincer. Recent years have seen Nick Lowe work in the studio and on the stage with the rocking Los Straitjackets, as well as a solo balladeer..

 

Following her popular guest vocalist appearance with Costello on “My Most Beautiful Mistake”, Nicole Atkins will open the shows in Huber Heights and Buffalo. Nicole’s latest release is “Memphis Ice” on Single Lock Records.

TOUR DATES – (More dates to be announced)

August 6 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center at The Heights^

August 8 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall*

August 9 – Buffalo, NY @ Artpark Amphitheater^

August 11 – New York, NY @ The Rooftop at Pier 17*

August 12 – Bensalem, PA @ Xcite Center at Parx Casino

August 13 – Ledyard, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino

August 15 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion*

August 16 – Northampton, MA @ The Pines Theater*

August 18 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap*

August 23 – Denver, CO @ Levitt Pavilion*

August 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater*

August 28 – Thousand Oaks, CA @ Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza*

August 30 – Anaheim, CA @ City National Grove of Anaheim*

September 2 – Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre*

September 3 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Theater at Virgin Hotels*

 

^ = Nicole Atkins opening

* = Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets opening