Review: David Byrne @ Wolf Trap
In Stop Making Sense,
[Photos of David Byrne at Bonnaroo by Dave Vann]
It’s somewhat fitting then, that at Byrne’s June 6 performance at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va., it took that very song — 11 songs into the 2-hour set — to finally get the typically reserved Wolf Trap crowd up and out of their seats. Maybe it’s understandable; it was the first real Heads heavy hitter in a set which — to that point — was dominant on Byrne’s other work. Perhaps it’s simple irony; just as Stop Making Sense’s Crosseyed and Painless gives visual evidence to Byrne’s power over an audience, the song still does the same thing 25 years later.
And it was the Talking Heads songs that proved most effective and garnered the biggest reactions from the crowd all night (despite Byrne never uttering the band’s name). Byrne smartly tailored his show as a back-heavy affair: after Crosseyed, he played seven Talking Heads songs, making it 11 out of 20 for the night. But where Byrne in the past had played Talking Heads songs with his various solo bands as re-arranged and re-imagined pieces (Example: a slowing down of This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)), here Byrne and his band largely stuck to the originally Byrne/Eno arrangements.
READ ON for more of Rudi’s thoughts on the David Byrne show…
It shouldn’t be a surprise considering the tour is billed as The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno – the former Roxy Music mastermind produced the three Talking Heads albums from 1978 to 1980. It’s in support of Byrne and Eno’s 2008 stellar surprise of an album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
As Byrne proved throughout the night, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today is worthy of inclusion in said menu, maybe Byrne’s best work since Talking Heads’ final album, Naked
More than just a concert, Byrne’s current show is dance theatre project — nearly as ambitious as Stop Making Sense for its highly stylized concept and complex choreography. With everyone on stage dressed in all white, the three dancers shift in and out of view, offering interpretive dance flashes with Byrne and his three background singers often joining in. At one point during I Zimbra, two dancers held microphones to two singers as they laid down on the stage. It might seem odd at first — so much flash for such a musically tight show — but the dancing adds an element of intrigue and fascination you don’t get from your average rock concert. These aren’t your standard concert dancers either, everyone moves with a style and grace more attune to a professional dance troupe, than a rock show. When Byrne got into the act, it was just confirmation of why he’s one of the greatest performers in rock and roll history. His energy is unparalleled; his enthusiasm immense; and his moves are still sharp.
This band he’s put together can play too, with only Heaven sounding a bit more up-tempo than its Talking Heads counterpart. On the Bush of Ghosts songs — Help Me Somebody and Moonlight in Glory — Byrne played the part of the preachers he sampled for the tracks, embodying the spirit of the character he was essentially portraying.
On Take Me to the River the backup singers took the spotlight, owning the stage with the song’s call and response. Having now seen both Byrne and Al Green perform the cut at the same venue, I can clearly say, despite Green’s authorship, it’s Byrne who truly owns the song. Perhaps the only soft spot of the entire show was set-closer I Feel My Stuff, from Everything That Happens. The six-minute piece can come off kooky at points, but it’s multiple sections still embody Byrne’s progressive spirit.
One of the highlights — both musically and visually — was Life During Wartime, with Byrne, his singers and his dancers running in place while singing, alluding to his infamous Stop Making Sense performance of the song. Just hearing Byrne shout out: “This ain’t no party/ This ain’t no disco/ This ain’t no fooling around” was a chill-inducing moment.
Byrne’s voice sounds nearly as strong as ever at 57, and he looks fairly youthful too, sans his hair, grayed with age. Having seen the second night of this tour in Baltimore in September, I did notice his voice sounded a bit rougher than I remembered, but it’s to be expected after nine months of near non-stop touring. It was, however, positive to see the set list and choreography has grown a bit since September. Most of what he played at the Lyric Opera House appeared at Wolf Trap, but the repertoire has increased: Fear of Music’s Air and Burning Down the House — one of only two non-Eno contributions performed — were both treats. The latter for some reason featured Byrne, his band and his dancers coming out wearing tu-tus. It was strange but funny, and the spot-on performance rightfully got the crowd’s biggest reaction.
Those two were part of the second of three encores — it seemed tedious to have Byrne fake-exit three times — but at this point in his career David Byrne deserves as many curtain calls as he wants, he’s earned it.
David Byrne
Wolf Trap
Vienna, Va.
June 6, 2009Set: Strange Overtones, I Zimbra, One Fine Day, Help Me Somebody, Houses in Motion, My Big Nurse, My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks), Heaven, Moonlight in Glory, Life is Long, Crosseyed and Painless, Born Under Punches, Once in a Lifetime, Life During Wartime, I Feel My Stuff
Encore 1: Take Me To the River, The Great Curve,
Encore 2: Air, Burning Down the House
Encore 3: Everything That Happens
This show was life changing! Houses in Motion was a highlight for me, and the funky intro jam to crosseyed, a la stop making sense.