Daryl Hall and Elvis Costello co-headline in Toronto

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Daryl Hall/Elvis Costello and the Imposters

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Budweiser Stage

Thursday night

RATING (**1/2 out of four)

Hall and Costello?

It doesn’t quite have the same ring as Hall and Oates — the commercially successful Philly pop-rock-soul duo who formed in 1970 until their ugly split last year — does it?

But there they were, two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Daryl Hall, 77, and Elvis Costello, 69 — not quite a generation apart — co-headlining a show at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on Thursday night in front of a crowd who didn’t completely fill the 8,000 seats, with the lawns not sold at all.

All I could think was maybe the musical combination didn’t quite work for their respective audiences?

Whatever the case, it was a bit of a mismatch of styles despite their collective impressive credentials.

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Hall, last seen in 2018 at Scotiabank Arena with Oates, is coming off a heavy last year, having filed a lawsuit and restraining order against Oates in 2023 claiming he committed “the ultimate partnership betrayal” by planning to sell his share of the hit-making duo’s publishing. (Oates responded that Hall’s statements were “inflammatory, outlandish and inaccurate.”)

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Meanwhile, British New Wave and beyond act Costello and The Imposters — including longtime keyboardist Steve Nieve and drummer Pete Thomas, and more recent recruits Davey Faragher on bass and Charlie Sexton on lead guitar — arrived having played as recently as 2022 at Toronto’s Massey Hall with Nick Lowe opening.

Costello, decked out in a light purple fedora that matched his purple tinged sunglasses and a sharp blue suit, was first up and came out swinging with Pump It Up and Watching The Detectives, the latter from his celebrated 1977 debut, My Aim Is True.

After taking a shot at the amphitheatre’s consecutive corporate names — Molson and now Budweiser — he claimed that the audience was really there to see Hall but judging from the way he eventually won the possibly unconvinced over alongside clear fans with his sheer talent and charm, I’m not so sure.

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Costello, alternating between guitar and piano, certainly kept it loose and improvisational, presenting some songs, like Veronica, which he wrote with Paul McCartney, completely unrecognizable in a new arrangement.

If that was jarring for some folks, I get it, but I also understand why he wants to keep music interesting for himself.

Then there were more nuggets like Pay It Back from My Aim Is True, A Face in the Crowd from a new 2024 Costello-penned musical of the same name coming to London in the fall alongside hits like Everyday I Write the Book, Alison, (I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea and the set-ending Lowe tune (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding — crowdpleasers one and all.

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Hall, backed by a six-piece band, played guitar, piano and keyboards, with a huge D on the backdrop behind him, which he noted was the cover and name of his just-dropped new solo album (his sixth such one and latest since 2011) from which he played the new single Can’t Say No To You in the encore.

Still, he leaned heavily on such Hall and Oates classics as Maneater, Rich Girl, Kiss on My List, Private Eyes, Sara Smile, I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do) and the show ending You Make My Dreams and maybe needs a new partner on stage to balance the performance although serious kudos are due to sax player Charles DeChant and percussionst Carroll Porter Jr.

Hall also attempted Everytime You Go Away, made more famous by British singer Paul Young covering in the ‘85 than Hall and Oates ever did previously, but it didn’t really work vocally.

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Elvis Costello Setlist

Pump It Up

Watching the Detectives

No Flag

Either Side of the Same Town

Surrender To the Rhythm

Pay It Back

Wonder Woman

Everyday I Write the Book

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A Face in the Crowd

Veronica

Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy

Clubland

Alison

(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea

(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding

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Daryl Hall Setlist

Maneater

Dreamtime

Foolish Pride

Rich Girl

Kiss on My List

Private Eyes

I’m in a Philly Mood

Everytime You Go Away

Sara Smile

I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)

ENCORE:

Can’t Say No to You

You Make My Dreams

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