WILMINGTON — A British troubadour will be touring through town next February, as the Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College welcomes Elvis Costello and the Imposters.
The group is scheduled to take the stage on Feb. 2, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. as part of its 7-0-7 Tour, which will make 15 stops across the South, including two in North Carolina. Ahead of the Wilson Center show, they will perform at Durham’s DPAC on Jan. 31.
Tickets are on sale this week.
Costello gained popularity in the early Seventies with his debut album “My Aim is True,” containing one of Costello’s most revered ballads, “Allison.”
His music became a part of the founding of the new wave genre with followup releases recorded with his band The Attractions, including “This Year’s Model” and “Armed Forces.” They released 11 albums before disbanding.
Costello and the group — which plays an amalgamation of jazz, Tin Pan, R&B, Baroque pop, country and classical music — regularly charted in the U.K. but gained recognition in the U.S. with the hit single “Veronica” in 1989. It ranked 19 on the Billboard 100.
Perhaps one of Costello’s most popular songs came in 1979, a remake of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding,” originally written by Nick Lowe and recorded by Lowe’s group Brinsley Schwartz. Costello and Lowe hit the road together for joint tours, including a recent one this past spring.
Throughout his 50-year career, Costello has collaborated with musical greats, including Allen Touissant, Paul McCartney, the Roots and Burt Bacharach.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 with The Attractions — rebranded the Imposters in the mid-’90s after the original bassist departed. Costello has won two Grammys — the first in 1998 for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals on “I Still Have That Other Girl” (1998) and again in 2019 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album on “Look Now.” He also was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for the release of “My Aim is True” in 2007.
Costello will be joined by Steve Nieve (keyboards), Pete Thomas (drums), Charlie Sexton (guitarist) and Davey Faragher (bassist).
Artist pe-sale tickets will be available beginning Wednesday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m., before opening to Wilson Center members on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, Sept. 29, at 10 a.m., here. Ticket central is open for telephone and in-person sales from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday only.
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