Las Vegas Mixtape v19: Dead Forever, Culinary Delights, and More

Track #3: Daryl Hall/Elvis Costello @Fontainebleau Las Vegas

Taking the stage at the state-of-the-art 3,800-seat BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, Daryl Hall launched into an exhilarating version of “Maneater,” one of Hall and Oates’ signature smashes.

He was clearly staking his claim on the legacy of Hall and Oates, who are currently engaged in a serious public rift that has likely torpedoed any chance for them to reunite. Elsewhere in the set, the soulful rock star performed the duo’s mega-hit “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” noting that “sometimes you have to draw the line,” seemingly a reference to the duo’s spat.

Drama aside, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and his muscular six-piece band came fully loaded with the duo’s big hits and his solo gems like “Dreamtime” and “I’m In A Philly Mood,” the latter from the Philadelphia artist’s underrated 1993 neo-soul album “Soul Alone.” New song “Can’t Say No To You,” from his latest solo album “D,” was deeply soulful and irresistibly melodic, proving that Hall hasn’t lost his songwriting and vocal magic.

Co-headliner Elvis Costello and the Imposters with featured guitarist Charlie Sexton, is also a master songwriter and performer, making the Hall/Costello pairing one of the summer’s essential tours.

Tearing into “Pump It Up,” the British artist and his skillful band played his most well-known songs, deep cuts, and, fittingly for this occasion, a cover of Gram Parsons’ rollicking “Ooh Las Vegas.

Costello keeps his show fresh with reworked arrangements that are loose but tight, giving him a reason to go onstage every night and not simply go through the motions. His playful and self-effacing stage patter is also part of the show’s charm. It mattered little that Costello’s vocals intermittently sounded road-stressed—this is an artist who compellingly inhabits the obsessions of his songs onstage and draws you inside of them.