Making its first professional release, this newly revealed image captures Elvis Costello & The Attractions at Massey Hall during their My Aim Is True / This Year's Model tour. Hand-signed by John Rowlands, strictly limited edition.
The Full Story
The Moment
Costello is seen in a tense, electrifying pose with his iconic Fender Jazzmaster, illuminated by stark, top-down lighting that gives the shot a noir-like, cinematic drama. The composition conveys both his youthful intensity and the emerging New Wave energy that defined his early career. The performance itself was noted for its sheer energy—classics like "Watching the Detectives," "Pump It Up," and "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" were delivered with a raw, urgent precision.
The Heritage
1978 marked Costello's rise to the American mainstream. This Toronto performance showcased the "angry young man" ethos of the era—edgy, literate, and dynamic. This photograph stands apart as a first-release, previously unseen glimpse into that historic moment, revealing both artist and environment in unprecedented detail.
Provenance & Release Previously unreleased from the John Rowlands archive; previous low-resolution scans circulated in cropped, incomplete form. Hand-signed by John Rowlands, strictly limited and hand-numbered. Museum-grade scanning and archival pigment printing on heavyweight, acid-free fine art paper.
Size:
Massey Hall, Toronto, April 29, 1978
Making its first professional release, this newly revealed image captures Elvis Costello & The Attractions at Massey Hall during their My Aim Is True / This Year's Model tour. Hand-signed by John Rowlands, strictly limited edition.
The Full Story
The Moment
Costello is seen in a tense, electrifying pose with his iconic Fender Jazzmaster, illuminated by stark, top-down lighting that gives the shot a noir-like, cinematic drama. The composition conveys both his youthful intensity and the emerging New Wave energy that defined his early career. The performance itself was noted for its sheer energy—classics like "Watching the Detectives," "Pump It Up," and "(I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea" were delivered with a raw, urgent precision.
The Heritage
1978 marked Costello's rise to the American mainstream. This Toronto performance showcased the "angry young man" ethos of the era—edgy, literate, and dynamic. This photograph stands apart as a first-release, previously unseen glimpse into that historic moment, revealing both artist and environment in unprecedented detail.
Provenance & Release Previously unreleased from the John Rowlands archive; previous low-resolution scans circulated in cropped, incomplete form. Hand-signed by John Rowlands, strictly limited and hand-numbered. Museum-grade scanning and archival pigment printing on heavyweight, acid-free fine art paper.
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