At Passover, Jews sit at the festive Seder dinner and tell the story of the freeing of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage. The evening is one of readings from the Hagaddah and of joyous songs. One of those songs tells the story of the blessings that the Israelites received and how with each blessing, the Israelites sang "Dayenu," Hebrew for "it would have been enough." For example, if the Lord had freed us from the Egyptians and not given us the Ten Commandments, it would have been enough. This song continues on for about 25 verses. And at the end of each verse, the word "Dayenu"--"it would have been enough."

Elvis Costello and his piano player from his old band the Attractions, Steve Nieve, played the second of two sold-out nights at the Beacon Theater Monday night. Their two-man musical extravaganza tested the limits of a three-hour envelope and the energy of even the most rabid fan.

The show's first song, the newly written "Alibi Factory", began in darkness. At its end, the stage was lit and Costello and Nieve dove into "Man Out of Time" and "Talking in the Dark", then a hauntingly beautiful version of the vastly underrated, "All This Useless Beauty." Four songs and already, it would have been enough.

But they were just getting warmed up. A wonderful new song about a woman who is sitting and tearing up pictures of a man that could be her father or her lover, "Lesson in Cruelty", was followed by a funky "(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea" and an elegant rendition of "Everyday I Write the Book". It would have been enough.

At this point, Greg Cohen--standup bass player--was introduced and the trio played "Almost Blue." This was followed by "Toledo", the newly written "45", and a lively rendition of "Pads Paws and Claws" from "Spike".

Elvis then took to the stage alone and played "Just About Glad," from "Brutal Youth." The energetic "I Dreamed of My Old Love Last Night," was the precursor for a raucous "Radio Sweetheart" that was teamed with a cover of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said." Steve returned and accompanied on "Alison." A thunderous ovation celebrated the close of the 75-minute set. And if they didn't return, it would have been enough.

The first encore of four sets of encores began with "Inch by Inch" which was teamed with the smoky torch song "Fever" and closed two songs later with a transcendent version of "Watching the Detectives." This song went from mellow piano number to punk explosion to rock opera in a five-minute span. To see the recreation of this song was just amazing. And one encore would have been enough.

The second encore started with the beautiful "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," followed by the always-popular "Veronica." Rarity, "Shipbuilding" was followed by the wickedly funny, rarely-played gem, "God's Comic." This song always turns into a morbid sing-along where the crowd alternates with Costello on the verse "Now, I'm dead." Twenty-seven songs were played to this point. And it would have been enough.

But Elvis Costello has a hard time with the word "enough." A heavy dance beat from Nieve's drum machine blasted us through a wild rendition of "Clubland" and the third encore closed with "I Want You." And it would have been more than enough.

The fourth set opened with the Burt Bacharach penned "I Still Had the Other Girl," from their collaboration Painted From Memory--a test of Costello's range and vocal cords. They were holding up perfectly. He then held up one finger. The night could have ended with "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes" and it definitely would have been . . . well, you know.

But the night didn't end there. One more song, "Accidents Will Happen" was followed by "God Give Me Strength" and finally closed with "Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4 "--a song that Elvis sang without benefit of a microphone and with only scant piano accompaniment. This finale was all about Elvis and his voice which, despite the wear of 25 years and over 30 songs, showed nary a sign of weakness. He hushed the theater with his command of the stage and upon completion drove the crowd into the last of numerous standing ovations. This was a night full of hits and rarities, torch songs and guitar driven rock and roll. And when he finally left the stage, three songs after he said he would, the crowd was drained.

A post-show analysis shows that two truths are self-evident. Elvis Costello sounds as good as ever. He is obviously working on his voice and has taken lessons to make his voice stronger. The Elvis Costello heard on 20-year old recordings was nowhere to be found. His voice was richer than I had ever heard it and he was hitting notes that were not even evident on "Painted From Memory". Steve Nieve is one of the finest rock piano players on the planet. His talent is not always appreciated.

The last time Costello and Nieve toured, Nieve played more of a backup role. On Monday night, he asserted that he was Costello's partner, not his backup musician. More than a few times, I thought that Nieve might break a key. If the ivories were his children, DYFS would have been called in after Monday's performance.

This was a rollicking, raging revue and is one that will go down as one of the best shows of the year. It is unquestionably the best theater show I've seen since Bruce Springsteen played the Beacon in 1995.

Thinking about how many times Elvis and Steve could have ended the show and it would have been enough, one is grateful that for Elvis Costello, it's never enough.