The British rocker delivered an early career set at Frauenthal Theatre to wrap up his U.S. theater tour on Friday, the same night Shakey Graves closed out Meijer Gardens’ concert series. Reviews, photos.
A Special Night: Elvis Costello closed out his theater tour in Muskegon on Friday. (Photo/Joshua Tufts)
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Parts of Elvis Costello’s 2015 autobiography, “Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink,” could be handy in assessing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer and guitarist’s tour stop Friday night at Muskegon’s cozy Frauenthal Theatre.
“There was no way to go back,” he writes at one point. “Time and the wrecking ball have taken care of the rest.”
While it may be true for many stars of the rock ‘n’ roll era that there’s “no way to go back” to their creative and commercial heyday, Costello at age 72 — with help from longtime chums Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher, and touring guitarist Charlie Sexton — did all he could on Friday to re-create some of the magic of his classics from the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Costello — clad in a red suit jacket and gold shoes — announced early on that the band would be performing “the songs I wrote in the first 10 years in show business. We’re not going to play anything other than that, no matter how much you beg and plead.”
And that they did, from “You Belong to Me,” “Watching the Detectives,” “Mystery Dance” and the first song Costello ever released, “Less Than Zero” to “Everyday I Write the Book” and “I Can’t Stand Up for Falling Down.”
Granted, early parts of the show were uneven and Costello’s voice had its meandering moments. But the entire production improved as the night wore on, unfurling true gems such as “This Year’s Girl” along with some fine musicianship.
During one interlude, Costello took to the piano, showcasing 1981’s country/R&B album, “Almost Blue,” while settling into a crooner vibe.
The Band: The Imposters (Photo/Joshua Tufts)
Costello often took time during the evening to soak in the adulation of his mostly baby boomer fans, and the gorgeous confines of the Frauenthal Theatre proved to be an ideal setting for Costello’s musical tales. At one point, he even gave a nod to “the other Elvis” during a medley that weaved in part of Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and closed with Willie Nelson’s “You Were Always on My Mind.”
And leaning on his prerogative as a songwriter who’s performed these tunes literally thousands of times over the years, several took on different shapes and arrangements.
Nieve stood out as one of the stars of the evening, seamlessly hopping from keyboard to keyboard throughout the set, demonstrating his prowess on everything from a grand piano and Hammond B3 organ to a melodica.
Friday’s two-hour show amid the smallest venue Costello has ever played in West Michigan (capacity 1,725) wrapped up a U.S. theater tour billed as “The Songs of Elvis Costello from the Early Days,” with the band now headed to Chicago on Sunday for an appearance at Riot Fest. (Costello joked during the encore that he couldn’t wait to see 95-year-old William Shatner performing with the metal band The *uckers at Riot Fest: “I’m going to be down in the front.”)
That encore proved to be a treasure that had the entire audience on its feet, with extended takes on “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” “Pump It Up” and, finally, the Nick Lowe classic, “What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” which featured a double ending of sorts and a rousing finish that left the crowd roaring.
It wasn’t a perfect live retrospective by any means, but it certainly rolled out as a satisfying night of nostalgic fun — and aptly reflected another quote from the “Unfaithful Music” autobiography: “It was a real party of swells.” – By John Sinkevics
PHOTO GALLERY: Elvis Costello & The Imposters at Frauenthal Theatre
Photos by Joshua Tufts
SHAKEY GRAVES PUTS EXCLAMATION POINT ON MEIJER GARDENS SERIES
Closing Out the Concert Season: Shakey Graves on Friday (Photo/Patrick O’Dowd)
From the moment he walked on stage in a T-shirt and baseball cap as “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” played over the speakers, Shakey Graves established a warm sense of camaraderie on Friday with the crowd at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
Capping off the final show of the venue’s 2026 Fifth Third Bank Summer Concerts series, Graves served up a taste of folky storytelling, raspy blues vocals, upbeat Americana rhythms and indie-rock guitar interludes with several selections from his 2026 album, “Fondness, Etc.”
After the original show date was postponed earlier this summer due to unhealthy air quality, the Austin-based singer-songwriter was delighted to finally see his Grand Rapids fans packed into the amphitheater. And while Friday’s threat of rain and chilly temperatures may have kept a few ticket holders at home, it was certainly a more pleasant atmosphere for a show than inhaling the thick wildfire smoke that descended on West Michigan back in July.
“I’m really glad you guys aren’t covered in smoke right now; that was crazy as hell,” Graves said.
Graves’ candid and seemingly unscripted on-stage conversations made the venue feel even more intimate than it is. Whether it was stories about an old apartment he once shared with a bandmate, the joys and struggles of parenthood or vulnerable admissions about feeling anxiety over messing up a good thing, Graves embraced the folk-singer tradition of sharing the stories behind his songs.
His heartfelt 2013 track, “Tomorrow,” despite being one of the most understated songs of the evening, elicited some enthusiastic sing-alongs from fans.
After a brief rain shower came and went, many fans stayed on their feet to dance their way through the remainder of the set.
Graves balanced his performance with haunting and slightly spooky tracks that highlight the darker tones in his catalog as well as purely upbeat, indie-rock-inspired numbers that urged fans to clap along. Graves and his band ended the main set fittingly with 2026’s “The Boilermaker,” giving the crowd “one more for the road.” – By Holly Holtzclaw
PHOTO GALLERY: Shakey Graves at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Patrick O’Dowd
