Elvis Costello and the Imposters

With his snarky stage name, a voice you’ve got to learn to love, and a maddening compulsion for jumping genres, Declan McManus has become a pop music icon almost in spite of himself. Why? Because his songcraft, when it jells just right, has yielded some of the best pop of the last several decades. From organ-driven dance numbers like “Pump It Up” to smoldering ballads like “Alison” and the best antiwar anthem ever, “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” Costello’s top-drawer tunes are simply unforgettable. His most recent album, the roots-tinged “The Delivery Man,” is an up-and-down affair with fewer instant classics than we hoped for. But hey, at least it’s not another collaboration with a string quartet or Burt Bacharach. 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul; 651-690-6700, www.stkate.edu/oshaughnessy