In a tribute to longtime collaborator Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello sang «Baby, It’s You,» «Anyone Who Had a Heart» and “Please Stay” during his Gramercy run in New York.
Elvis Costello opened his 10-night run at New York’s Gramercy Theatre on Thursday with a tribute to his longtime collaborator Burt Bacharach, the legendary composer who died Wednesday at 94.
Costello, 68, covered three of the essential 1960s pop composer’s songs: “Baby, It’s You,” which was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles; Dionne Warwick and lyricist Hal David’s “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” which Costello and Ron Isley each covered; and Bacharach’s early hit “Please Stay,” which was recorded by the Drifters in 1961.
The salute also came as Costello readies to release the four-CD box set “The Songs of Bacharach and Costello” in March, highlighting the musicians’ decades-long oeuvre and friendship.
According to Variety, Costello promised the sold-out crowd that he would be delving into their songbook of collaborations later in the Gramercy run when his longtime pianist Steve Nieve joins.
