Nick Lowe's Rockpile, Willie Alexander: The Bottom Line, New York NY

THE HEAVY rain outside did little to dampen the enthusiasm of the audience inside. With a majority of those in attendance being press and record biz people, the loyalty might have been a little suspect, but the buzz in the air had quite a bit more to do with Nick Lowe's brief, but eminently successful, appearance as the support band for Elvis Costello a few nights earlier at the Palladium.