Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Video: Elvis Costello Rips It Up In Vintage 1978 Concert

By

Ben Yakas

Published Dec 22, 2012

Modified Dec 23, 2012

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

The angry young sod in the flesh

 

By

Ben Yakas

Published Dec 22, 2012

Modified Dec 23, 2012

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

While most people were waiting for the end of the world yesterday, we stumbled upon this absolutely essential vintage Elvis Costello concert footage—and yes, he does perform his own "Waiting For The End Of The World." Costello and the Attractions performed live at WDR Studio-L in Cologne on June 15th, 1978, rolling through a blistering 13 song set for Rockpalast television. Watch it in full below, and don't be worried about any invisible shivers running down your spine.

The set is mostly a mix of tunes from his first two perfect records, My Aim Is True and This Year's Girl, including knockout versions of "(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea," "Lipstick Vogue" and "You Belong To Me." But the highlight is an early version of one of Costello's most shamefully overlooked early masterpieces, "Two Little Hitlers," from the then-forthcoming Armed Forces. Although it has a few lyrical changes, the tune encapsulates Costello's vision for that album, which combined complex lyrics dealing with "emotional fascism" in both public and private lives with Abba-inspired, keyboard-drenched music: "Two little Hitlers will fight it out until/One little Hitler does the other one's will."

Check out the setlist (and times of the songs) below:

Tagged

concert

elvis costello

germany

live

Music

rock

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.

By

Sonia Rao

Arts & Entertainment

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.

By

Sonia Rao

The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

By

Lindsay Lee Wallace

Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?

By

James Ramsay

What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.

By

Jayson Greene

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .