Yesterday I took the trouble to read some of the other accounts of this incident -- remember those links from weeks ago?
None of us have access to all the facts here, but it really does sound like this was worked out between Costello & Konitz. They rehearsed a week or two in advance. Iridium must have know about it to get the publicity out. On the Costello news site it mentions that at the soundcheck the day of the job, the drummer was on-board and prepared but that Peacock "declined to take the stand." (Drummer knew about it but Peacock didn't? I think not.) It mentions, too, that Costello and Peacock had polite conversation about it but no dice from Peacock. That's when you get the "three-legged donkey" assessment and they decide to pull the number from the night.
It sounds like the kittens really hit the fan that night, with a room full of Costello fans, there on the strength of the Iridium publicity, and no Costello. So -- was Konitz contractually obliged to produce Costello? Or did he mention to someone that Costello might show up for a number or two and then the club jumped on it?
I dunno -- from the sounds of it all the musicians behaved pretty well and well within their rights. Like I pretty much said in my first post: I blame the club. Pimping up Costello for what was a Konitz gig, probably no contractual basis on which to demand Costello -- they blew it. It's their bad scene.
And the Costello, Ray Charles/James Brown thing? It happened almost 30 years ago!! Costello was young and a hit and he was drunk and he found himself needing to put down some hippies -- especially Stephen Stills, who has no shortage of stories about his own rotten attitude and bad behaviour. Costello should have know better, it's true, but geez Louise, stuff happens when the booze flows (don't forget about the antipathy that existed back then between those coked-up L.A hippie establishment musicians and the whole punk/new wave thing.)
And, sure, Elvis got decked by a girl, but look at Stephen Stills, sending a girl out to deck bespectacled little Elvis. It's pathetic behaviour from all of them.
