When I think of people who know and understand music on levels above nearly everyone else, David Byrne ranks among the top of the list. Whether through his work with his legendary group Talking Heads or his own impressive solo career, there are few who approach the craft of songwriting quite like Byrne and if you're ever given the chance to watch him do his magic live, you need a pretty good reason to miss it. Sure, it might not be too far off from the lengthy Broadway residency he held before and after the pandemic, which itself wasn't too different from the tour he did prior to that, both of which were in support of and named after the album American Utopia. Now he's on the road to back up his most recent release, September's Who Is The Sky? and there are a lot of shared elements between the tours. I could see how on one hand some might see that as disappointing. Concerts these days sure aren't cheap and for some, it could seem like Byrne's recycling his most recent bits just to charge fans another exorbitant amount of money to see the same show. However dear reader, let me tell you, this is not the same show as American Utopia. Yes, the band is cordless and untethered. They move around the stage in some amazing choreographed demeanor and they're surrounded by massive screens instead of chains suspended from the ceiling and these screens allow for the show to add new layers and depths that weren't present (not in a bad way, during his past run of shows). What Byrne and team have set out to do here is take the confined elements that limited them in a Broadway house and blow them out, replacing their constraints with a whole new approach that made things feel immersive while remaining intimate. All dressed in matching electric blue jumpsuits, the massive band took their various marks at perfectly timed moments and shaped the songs which allowed Byrne to take the crowd through a journey of his storied career. A slow, stripped-down rendition of "Heaven" kicked things off as delicate strings slowly unveiled a growing group of musicians that would add more and more until the song was fully formed and engulfing the massive room. "Everybody Laughs," the lead single from his new record and pretty great tune as well really came to life on stage, its vibrancy getting the crowd to bob up and down with the tight riff and perfectly set things up for "And She Was," a next caliber tune that had the screens start to show their level of technology as we were taken on tours of homes in a suburban landscape whil the band continued their syncopated moves. The Eno collab "Strange Overtones" was another jubilant hit that had Byrne dancing along and leading the group through the dance moves at hand. For "T-Shirt" the screen displayed various sayings, some akin to what you'd find on tourist pieces of crap, as well as bolder choices like "Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History," "Make American Gay Again," "No Kings," and "I'm a grown ass man I do what my wife wants" which had people echoing their support and enthusiasm for his digs towards the overt insanity we're witnessing day in and day out in our lives. He followed with a lot of commentary around the days of the Pandemic and how other countries celebrate the days of their independence from fascism, another remark that drew a lot of cheer. As the melody to "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" began to bubble up, the rush of euphoria felt almost overwhelming and I thought to myself, it's incredible that a band like Talking Heads can have so many contenders for greatest songs of all time and how, in the moment, this one was getting my vote for one of the best things I'd ever heard live. The rubbery bass and translucent guitar licks were magnificent, making that instance not only one of the best of the night, but the year as well. A few more of his solo songs still had people locked-in and committed to following along with the entire band as they themselves crowd surfed the stage at various moments, but it was of course the Talking Heads songs that had people launching out of their seats. As the groove of "Psycho Killer" flooded the auditorium, the place was ready to go and gave everything to the folks on stage. It was a full spectacle as the lights illuminated the members on stage with such haunting glows and everyone in attendance was ready to give their all for the rest of the night. As the passion continued to build and the sense of loyalty grew, "Life During Wartime" brought even more energy and as the anti-ICE images began to fill the screens, it became another unifying moment and as we all screamed out "this ain't no disco," it was clear that everyone was fully committed to the night. As the band slowly lined-up one by one at the edge of the stage for "Once in a Lifetime," I again thought to myself "no, this is the best song of all time" and I'm still holding out as this being the front runner. With Byrne centerstage, the night reached its zenith here and even thought "Burning Down the House" to close things out came within inches of greatness, it was even more of a reminder as to just how special the entire evening felt. The work of such a visionary has been a thing of greatness for ages (as the woman next to my left reminded me as we danced together for the night before she leaned in to remark "the first time I saw him was in '79, when were you even born?" which gave us both a good laugh. There are few on par with Byrne in the way they approach, make, and share, but if you're lucky enough to be near when he does his magic, it's something you simply cannot pass up as there's really no one else doing what David Byrne does both in the studio and on stage. He himself is someone who is a once in a lifetime talent worthing of the accolades.
Set list:
01 "Heaven"
02 "Everybody Laughs"
03 "And She Was"
04 "Strange Overtones"
05 "Houses in Motion"
06 "T-Shirt"
07 "(Nothing but) Flowers"
08 "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"
09 "What Is the Reason for It?"
10 "Like Humans Do"
11 "Don't Be Like That"
12 "Independence Day"
13 "Slippery People"
14 "I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party"
15 "My Apartment Is My Friend"
16 "Hard Times" [Paramore cover]
17 "Psycho Killer"
18 "Life During Wartime"
19 "Once in a Lifetime"
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20 "Everybody's Coming to My House"
21 "Burning Down the House"
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