David Byrne-American Utopia Tour 2018-Sydney

21 Nov 2018

David Byrne-American Utopia Tour 2018

International Convention Centre-Sydney

21 Nov 2018

David Byrne, the former lead singer of The Talking Heads, may have moved away from his former bandmates 27 years ago, but tonight he was in serious Remain In Light territory.

Byrne has always been able to add a visual dimension to a rock and roll show. Even as a frontman, he is hard to take your eyes off with his stumbling and off-kilter dancing. Tonight with another 11 musicians, dancers and singers on the stage, magic occurred.

Same As It Ever Was? In some ways it was. The power of the music and the strength of those Talking Heads songs have stood the test of time. Nevertheless, it was NOT like any other live music performance anyone in attendance had seen before. Looking at the faces of the crowd when the show commenced you could tell they were finding it difficult to wonder how they worked this.

Simply, there was a bare stage, except for the occasional prop and the musicians and singers moved around with their instruments strapped to their bodies like a marching band. After close to 140 performances on the American Utopia Tour, the body memories of this group made the choreography seem effortless. It took a few songs to get used to the fluidity of the performance, but once that was achieved, it was pure joy.

Energetic movement, the music making the hips shake before the head quakes, the immediacy of the dancing and smiles of love, and the dedication to enjoyment and passing that onto the crowd was infectious.

Chris Giarmo and Tendyai Kuumba sang and oh did they dance as if they were at the biggest dance party on the planet. The smiles, the energy, the exquisite beauty elevated the performance to another place.

Percussion filled the room, Bobby Wooten excelled on his bass, Angie Swann ripped shreds off her guitar and filled the room with funk, and it was hard to know whom to watch as people moved about the open stage.

As Byrne says in ‘American Utopia’, “I dance like this, because it feels so damn good”. It felt good watching it, Byrne was glowing with bliss and the crowd moved out of their seats where they could and joined the groove.

The set list (below) was almost perfect. ‘Road To Nowhere’ is a fine song, but “Life During Wartime”, “Girlfriend Is Better” or any number of songs would have been my personal choice. The closing protest song “Hell You Talmbout” is a wonderful moment, but I am not sure of the impact on a middle-class white crowd in Australia. Byrne believes it is one of the strongest protest songs he has ever heard and displays where we are in 2018. OK, what do I know, but I would prefer it included in the set and a life-affirming “Take Me To The River’ to close. A mere quibble, really.

Byrne and his production team have deconstructed the rock and roll show and come up with a beauty. If you do get the chance, do not walk, run and get a ticket. If it is sold out, go to the venue and hope for one to appear. You may need a miracle to get in, but there is no way you will not be overwhelmed by this night of music. You do not even need to be a Talking Heads fan, but it helps.

Setlist

Here

Lazy

I Zimbra

Slippery People

I Should Watch TV

Dog’s Mind

Everybody’s Coming to My House

This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)

Once in a Lifetime

Doing the Right Thing

Toe Jam

Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)

I Dance Like This

Bullet

Gasoline and Dirty Sheets

Like Humans Do

Blind

Burning Down the House

Encore:

Road to Nowhere

The Great Curve

Hell You Talmbout