Elvis Costello Gets Creative With Band Lineup Following Illnesses

Elvis Costello is rolling with the punches on his 2024 joint tour with Daryl Hall. After two of his band members, Davey Faragher and Charlie Sexton, recently fell ill, Costello performed with just drummer Pete Thomas and pianist Steve Nieve. “Elvis Costello would like to announce that, as two members of the ensemble are indisposed, Mr. Costello will initially take the stage alone,” a post on his social media read on July 10. “Surprises and hilarity will ensue. We look forward to a unique evening with the Philadelphia audience.”

You can watch the trio perform “Mystery Dance” from that concert below. This evening, Costello will perform the same way in Uncasville, Connecticut. “Both Nieve and Thomas were members of the singer’s previous band, making this, as Costello pointed out, ‘as close to the Attractions as you’re ever gonna get,’” another social media post read. “Tonight’s show promises even more new arrangements and different song choices. While it is hoped that Imposter bassist, Davey Faragher and special guest guitarist, Charlie Sexton will soon return to match-fitness after illness, you should not miss this opportunity to see E.C. and his ‘Attractive’ cohorts in action.”

Costello is hardly a stranger to unorthodox performance circumstances — in 2023, he performed a 10-night residency in New York City in which he played over 200 different songs.