Web site reviewsDavid Byrne live: FeelingsThis page contains reviews of David Byrne's summer '97 tour to promote "Feelings". Some of these reviews were published in papers or magazines while others were written by visitors of this website or members of the Talking Heads Mailing List. Read the review by/from:
Seeing as this is a David Byrne site, I'd let you know about the show I went to tonight. It was at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. It was a Pre-Tour gig for David's new tour. There was about 300-400 people there. The show was great. It was the first time I've seen David and I'm glad I didn't miss. (I almost did). Well, the band consisted of David, A female singer, Drummer/Loop guy, Bass Player (Desmond Foster), and a Slide/Guitar Player. Sorry, but bassist was the only one who's name I remember. David played a lot more Talking Heads songs then I expected. These are the songs that he played not in the correct order. Back in the Box That's all I can remember.. I'm sure there's one or two I'm missing. A lot of the older Heads songs were spuced up with added drum and electric loops which actually was really cool! During Psycho Killer, which was an Encore, he came out in a full body suit that displayed all his muscles and tendons. The only thing you saw of david was his eyes and mouth.. I must admit it was pretty scary, yet soooo cool! Well, that's about it. I thought you might of be of intrest to this little event. Enjoy! Jim Barraud I saw David Byrne last nite at Toad's place in New Haven, CT. I saw him last three years ago just prior to him going into the studio to record David enyrb. This performance was great and 180 degrees from the last time I saw him. After reading other posts on this board, I expected about an one hour show. ( I kind of expected this anyway since it was promoted as a "pre-tour" show, plus advance tickets were only $12.50). I assumed it would be only new songs but I was wrong. Songs included: Mak. Flipp Floppy, Once in a Lifetime, Back in the box, Buck Naked, Big country, Road to Nowhere, Psycho killer (encore), miss america, fuzzy freaky, I zimbra plus others from the new album.. What was different was that he didn't seem so dark in his performance, smiling frequently (even during the talking heads songs). With his hair cut he now looks much younger. What was also great was that he hung out after his sound check a bit and people got to talk to him (he's not a real people person) I won't spoil everything about the show, because there's other surprises. Anyone seeing him tonite in New Jersey will love it. -Wupot I just got home from David's show at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park,NJ (6/23/97). David once again reinvents himself and his performance. The band performed old favorites and new songs making them all sound fresh. The club was only about half full but everyone there seemed to really love the show. Everyone should try to go see David if he comes to your area. This is a show that should not be missed. -John Yesterday the Arezzo rock festival started with (among the others)
a performance by DB. A local radio broadcasts all Arezzo concerts
live: yet DB was the only artist out of some fifty ones who didn't
allow them to broadcast his concert. That's to say that instead
of having their listeners listen to the concert, the people from
radio Popolare had to tell them what was going on. DB started his concert at 11.20 pm after two Italian groups (an unknown one who played just for less than half an hour and one of the most cherished by young people, who played for an hour). It took a long time to organize the stage for his show and when he appeared the audience was completely changed: no more teen agers, but more mature people. (A lot of them, anyway) DB was dressed with a sort od clownish yellow and red suit. During the concert he took off his red/yellow jacket and remained with an all yellow shirt and trousers. Nothing to say about the group, while the people from Radio popolare were very impressed by the chorist: a girl almost two metres tall, all dressed in a pink frock. According to what those people told, the show seems to be more similar to old TH performances and Rei Momo than to the last tour. It's all full of colours; DB dances a lot and there are almost all lively songs. DB started with "Making flippy-floppy", then went on with "Once in a Lifetime"; there were other two old TH tracks: "Road to Nowhere" and "Psycho Killer" (to end with) and also some "David Enryb" tracks ("Buck Naked", Back in the Box"). All the other tracks were from the last album and were played all together in a middle section of the concert (he didn't play "Burnt by the Sun", yet, which is my favourite, and also "They are in Love", while he sang almost all the others). The concert lasted more than one our (Almost one hour and a quarter; don't know about the encores because the broadcasting closed before the end of the concert). What else? Since they couldn't broadcast the live concert, they let us listen to an interview with DB they had obtained in the afternoon: DB said the usual things about the album, he seemed very relaxed. Better than nothing. Some curiosities: DB stayed in a hotel 60km from Arezzo: he came from Turin (where he had a longer concert the night before) and he was rather tired. His road manager was a sort of enormous bear who had scared all the people who wanted to get in touch with him. He had asked to find a lot of mineral water, fruit juice, orange juice, tortillas and sadwiches to eat before the concert. According to the lucky people who could hear it, the concert was very very good and he seemed to enjoy himself a lot. Btw: all concerts of Arezzo rock Festival are for free... -Silvia Albertazzi Saw DB last Sunday night here in Lisbon! Great show! As he said, they played some "new stuff, some old stuff and other stuff". But hey!, what a band!...what a wardrobe! Whatever you do, don't miss this one! --Antonio Cebola (reportingfromLisbon) David Byrne at the Werchter Festival, Belgium I'm sorry to say that I can't agree with the positive reviews on the list on DB's recent tour. I saw him yesterday at the Werchter festival in Belgium and it was really disapointing. I was standing on the second row an DB looked old and tired. The worst thing was that he also sounded like that. He played a lot of TH material in the short set (45 minutes), but the only good thing about that was that I could hear better versions of these songs in my head. I missed Adrian Belew on Once in a lifetime; I missed Nona Hendrix on Take me to the river; I missed the Heads on all songs... His current group is composed of two very low key guys who fiddle with drum computers, samples, synths and other electronic stuff (one plays from time to time some drums), and a female singer who looks (gypsy dress with cowboy hat) and sounds ridiculous. DB was the only guitar player - he has lot's of qualities, but he surely is not the greatest guitar player in the world. Moreover, it sounded as if the band had not been playing together since a very long time. The only TH songs that survived the treatment of the band and even sounded better than the original were I Zimbra and Road to Nowhere. During the short set DB thought it was necessary to change clothes on two occasions: he started in his long haired pink suit with a green shirt, changed into a Scottish skirt (with white underwear), and finally put on his anatomical body suit. These changes of outfit brought a smile to my face, but I would have prefered some better music. For me the discussion DB - Heads is closed: the Heads without DB lack DB's weirdness; but DB without Heads lacks their energy and sense of fun. P.S. I had a great time during the two-day festival thanks to David Bowie (5 years older than DB, but much younger), Zap Mama, Spearhead, Jamiroquai, Radiohead, dEUS, Daft Punk and even Suede. --Bernard Naudts (Leuven, Belgium) After the 'virtual' review, here's the real thing, at last! Wednesday night I went to a very small village some 60 km. from my town to see David Byrne in concert. To start with, I never saw such a shabby venue for such a big star (and he was not the only one: the day before Sinead O'Connors sang on the same stage ...): a small stage in the middle of nowhere; all the people standing in a rugged field, where you had to be careful not to put your feet in a hole, if you wanted to see something. A sort of Woodstock of the very very poor, with a lot of middle aged people in uncomfortable postures. The concert started in perfect time at 10 pm. David appeared all dressed in a yellow and brown striped suit. He was very similar to Jim Carrey as "The Mask". He opened with a techno version of "Once in a Lifetime": the choice of an opening song for a concert has never been more wrong. People want to listen to the old masterpieces in due time, when the atmosphere is hotter and they want to find those songs as they remember them. Listening to "Once in a Lifetime" in a new version, just at the beginning, disappointed a lot of fans: they got the idea that the show would be all like this, a series of musical displacements, a continuous deception of their expectations. And, in a way, the rest of the concert proved them to be right. David played only six songs from his new album ("Fuzzy Freaky", "Miss America", "Daddy Go Down", "A Soft Seduction", "Dance on Vaseline" and the always horrible "The Gates of Paradise"); then he played "Back in the Box" and "Buck Naked" from "David Enryb" and all the others were old tracks from Th times. The audience responded enthusiastically only to the old songs (especially to a very overwhelming version of "I Zimbra", to a long extended version of "Take me to the River" and to the always magic "Road to Nowhere"); someone sang along with David also in "Dance on Vaseline" and "Miss America". Yet David seemed to be careful to decrease the degree of emotion in his audience everytime it seemed to have reached the top. I mean: people were very 'hot' after "I Zimbra" and shortly after he proposed an unrecognizable "The Big Country" in a version so boring I saw many people yawn around me. Then there was a surge of real enthusiam for "Back in the Box", and afterwards, without any interruptions, he started with the plaintive slide guitars of "The Gates of Paradise". For three quarters of the show - after his apparition in the gangster suit - David changed his dress and played in a pink and purple Scottish kilt. I took this change of dress as a clue to the interpretation of the whole concert: maybe he's trying to get back to his roots or, better, to revisit all his previous musical experiences. In a way, this was apperent also in the choreographies of his performance. From that point of view, the show was something in-between "Stop Making Sense" and "Between the Teeth": he was on the stage with a very beautiful Thai dancer, who sang along with him and danced in a fascinating Eastern way. David danced, too, quite a lot: those dissociated steps he liked to dance in Th's videos. He pirouetted in his plaited kilt and all the people in the audience started wondering whether he was wearing underpants under his kilt. This seemed to be the main question on the night. He changed many dresses in a very short time, and he was always in motion ("Road to Nowhere", for instance, was sung while running all the time, like in the old video we all remember - btw: God knows why, David now sings also the first strophe, the one which was in TH's version of the track and he had suppressed later) There was a continuos scenic research, the reserach of a complete performance, like in "Rei Momo", but David seems not to have found yet a key unfying all the parts of the concert. He seems to be uncertain between old memories, and new suggestions. The only 'fil rouge' I discovered is an apparent attempt at showing a complete lack of emotions, to appear more and more similar to the doll on the cover of "Feelings", even physically (the last appearance on the stage, for the encore, was in fluorescent suit which made him seem like a real plastic doll). Mind, this is not a criticism: here David is simply much more similar to the clownish singer with the big coat of "Stop Making SEnse" than to the mature man who sang "A Long Time Ago". For a person like me, who had literally fallen in love with the musician in black who stood still on the stage and sang "I'm a self made man", this concert was a bit of a deception (which reached its climax when David appeared on stage dressed as an anatomical theatre wax doll - all muscles, sinews and what else - to sing "Psycho Killer" in a techno way, while chasing the poor dancer, who fled screaming all the way - a 'pulp' version of a classic I din't appreciate at all). Yet something in the clumsy way of proposing some of the new songs made me realize that this is only a reharsal for a perfect version of this new show, which will be ready next Autumn (David himself said he will come back to Italy, at least, in October). Certainly, this is not the final version of this show. Many things have to be changed and corrected. As it stands, this concert leaves one with the impression that there were much more 'feelings' in the 94 performance (whose poerfection will hardly be reached again, anyway) than in this wax dolls show. (But, please, go and see it for yourselves. David is always worth while: "I Zimbra" and "Road to Nowhere" are enough to justify the cost of your ticket :-) --Silvia Albertazzi Byrne appeared as the headline act on the Jazz/World Stage on the second night of a muddy Glastonbury 1997. He was unfortunate to have to compete with Radiohead, who were headlining the Main Stage at the same time (Radiohead are probably the most talked about band in UK at the moment). Thus, the crowd only numbered between 500 - 1000 at a guess. I wasn't really sure what to expect; after the tepid nature of his previous solo-work; 'Feelings' had come as a big surprise. Nowhere near as self-indulgent as the 'Rei Momo' album or as depressingly self-conscious as the 'David Byrne' album (lets forget the hopelessly frivolous 'Uh Oh'), the new album contains some of the best stuff Byrne has been associated with for over 10 years. Thus, I was looking forward to see how Byrne could rejuvenate himself from the tired displays of his last European tour (2-3 years ago). After a 30 minute delay due to technical difficulties, Byrne finally arrived on stage looking rather nervous but noticably younger than his incarnation of two years ago. He was dressed in army-green trousers and shirt with his name emblazoned above his chest pocket making him look like an oversized Action Man (GI Joe?) doll. He started the set with a lively version of 'Making Flippy Floppy' and after two more THs songs, the audience was pretty much hooked. All of the old stuff was given an impressive 'dancier' dressing and Byrne's quirky onstage dance routines won him new fans. The stuff off the new album fitted in well with the spruced up THs songs; 'Miss America' went down particularly well and led up to an excellent finale of 'I Zimbra', both songs getting the crowd to at least try and dance in the glue-like mud. Overall, despite a few technical hitches (late start/ Byrne's guitar packing up half way through the set) the event was hugely enjoyable. I overheard many young on-lookers, who had not even previously heard of Byrne, singing his praises as the gig ended ('He was really cool, like a singing, dancing robot' and 'He's Beck's long-lost dad' were two memorable comments) Nice to see him put on a real show rather than just turn up, sing his songs and go like so many of the acts on the Main Stage did. Along with the gigs of Beck, Prodigy, and Smashing Pumpkins, Byrne's performance was one of the highlights of Glastonbury 1997. Saw DB at Sheperds Bush Empire, London on Friday. Having seen a not so hot performance at Glastonbury a month ago, I was hoping this would be better. I wasn't disappointed! It was the best crowd i've ever experienced in London (they are notoriously crap!), and DB loved the crowds reaction, producing a great performance from him & the band. They have really got it together now, much better than at Glastonbury (tho' it has to be said, not up to the band on the last tour!). Tracks included:- Once in a lifetime, Flippy Floppy, Road to Nowhere, Phycho Killer, I Zimbra. Back in the box, Buck Naked. Fuzzy Freaky, Miss America, A Soft Seduction, Dance on Vasaline, The gates of Paradise, Daddy Go down, Finite-Alright, The Civil Wars. Overall score: 9.8....well worth it! --Neil Greenway Saw David yesterday at the Don Valley stadium as support for Paul Weller. He came on at 6:15 in the pouring rain - started by saying "it's raining, it must be a festival!" then immediately went into `Once in a Lifetime` followed by `The Gates of Paradise`. At the end of the second song he said "should we do that again" which sounded a little strange. The band started to play the opening chords of the next song to be stopped by Byrne who took them all off stage. He came back on joking about having forgotten the lyrics. The band played the intro to 'Take me to the River' to be again stopped by Byrne who ordered them all backstage. When they eventually came back onstage - we were all standing in the pouring rain getting soaked - they played 'Dance on Vaseline' followed by 'Miss America'. They then started the full introduction to "Road to Nowhere' which really got the audience going. At the end of the intro someone started a smoke machine onstage - Byrne suddenly screamed "What the Fuck - If I wanted smoke I would have asked for fucking smoke - if you want to smoke, go and do it in your own house - motherfuckers - I'll have to start the song again" After that they finished with 'I Zimbra' He started the show in a fluffy pink suit which looked great - when they came back again he had removed his jacket and was wearing a yellow shirt, but that was it, no other dress changes. The band seemed great - the 6 songs they did were magnificent but poor David was really pissed off Oh well, he showed his feelings at least!! --Stuart Short of being honored by a ticker-tape parade in the city where he attended the Rhode Island School of Design, David Byrne couldn't have made a splashier return to the stage on the opening night of his 20-date tour. The Big Suit is long gone, but Byrne did his indelible image one better by striding onstage wearing a fuzzy, day-glo pink body suit. Looking like an Easter bunny for the art-school set, he launched into a feverish version of "Once In A Lifetime," a classic Talking Heads tune from 1980's "Remain in Light." But make no mistake about it: Byrne's return to his alma mater's city was no nostalgia trip. As a testament to the strength and sweep of his new album, "Feelings," he scattered more than half-dozen new tunes amid a 15-song, career-spanning set that included inevitable favorites like his signature take on Al Green's "Take Me To The River," and a genuinely creepy version of "Psycho Killer." For that jaunty little lullaby, Byrne emerged from the darkness wearing a skintight muscle-and-tissue outfit ripped from the pages of "Gray's Anatomy," then stalked the stage while Bruce Kaphan's deranged guitar howled around him like screams in the wind. Less dramatic but nearly as compelling was his new material, including the sitar-flavored soul of "Daddy Go Down" and the angular groove of "Dance On Vaseline." The latter illustrated Byrne's continued affinity for crafting the kind of idiosyncratic pop rhythms that defined the term "New Wave" 20 years ago. From there, he moved deftly to the radiant grace of "A Soft Seduction," a number that showcased his skill for conjuring dream-like drama with the simplest of tools. While Byrne has often approached his art with too much head and not enough heart, few artists can match his gift for fusing seemingly opposite approaches to song structure -- sophistication and minimalism -- into something distinctively different. From the ersatz Afro-funk of one 18-year-old song, "I Zimbra," to the eerie soundscapes of a new one, "The Gates of Paradise," his music keenly refracted his world of constantly shifting impulses and expanding horizons. Long after most of his peers have become trapped in various creative ruts, Byrne made himself new again by staying the same as he ever was: unpredictable and often brilliant. --Jonathan Perry I went to see DB last night at Harbor Lights in Boston. The show was held in an outdoor theater under a white tent right on Boston Harbor... nice view! To the right of the stage loomed the towers in Boston's financial district and to the left was the wharf district. So I get there at 7:00 for the 7:30 show, buy myself an overpriced "Feelings" Shirt. It is yellow (guess DB was happy) with the word Feelings on the Front, the back ays something like "North America Part I" and has the list of tour dates until early September. It was hot, got ripped off twice because I had to buy soda. But hey, needed to stay hydrated. At 8:45 the band appeared, and DB took center stage in his pink Fuzzy Freaky shirt and went right into "Once In A Lifetime" The people, who never sat down after standing when DB appeared went crazy. I had an aisle seat so lots of room because "You can dance if its allowed" ;) He did a lot of his old spastic dancing, it was great. The song ended and the crowd errupted with applause and cheers, after two thank yous, Db askedif we ready to be quiet, because they were ready to play, he also said that his suit was available at the T-shirt stand (too bad it was just a joke). They then did Making Flippy Floppy, and I remembered why I first got into TH. First outfit change... He comes out in a blue leisure suit, "I've got my leisure suit, I'm ready to party" He plays Gates of Paridise and Take Me To The River. Then he played Buck Naked "This is a song I wrote for my daughter when someone in her family died of AIDS." Afterwards it was Fuzzy Freaky and then (I couldn't believe it) "The Listening Wind" which was the best I've ever heard it and a real surprise for the show. Then Miss Tina Wheeler (I think?) played something really trippy on her synthesiser and then DB shows up in a Kilt! Yep he had underwear on! But he kept jumping up and down driving the ladies crazy (okay maybe not that crazy) ;) They played Dance On Vaseline. This was followed by a beautiful version of "A Soft Seduction" (we got to sit down!) This was one of the real highlights of the show, and a nice change of pace... it didn't last! Next came Back in the Box, and IMHO the best song off of 'Feelings', "Miss America". Which was better than what he did on Letterman. Then came the best song of the show, a really upbeat version of Road to Nowhere! DB really played off the crowd well, and they responded with a lot of enthusiasm. We were all jumping up and down, singing along (those of us who knew the words). And then DB thnaked us introduced the band and they disappeared... The crowd stayed on its feet cheering and a few minutes later, the band came back and they did that really SPOOKY version of Psycho Killer with DB in the muscle tissue skin tight suit... this was the worst song of the show and the only one which I didn't *thoroughly* enjoy, but it was different and not terrible, it was just too spooky and ghastly for DB. The band ran off again, but we knew the show wasn't over, and they came out about 2-3 minutes later with DB in a blue racing suit. They did a really soft smooth version of "Amnesia" which was very relaxing. Then we all rose for the last song, and great dancing song at that, "I Zimbra" it was excellent, we were all dancing like demons DB was all over the stage going crazy, he was really into it. He was really high energy. Then it was one more thank you and the show was over. Oh yeah, during Road To Nowhere, DB did his running in place which is featured in that video and then ran around the stage a-la Life During Wartime from Stop Making Sense. I sat next to a TH fan who's been into them since '81, kinda funny that both myself and this guy got into TH when we were 17, only I was in 1993! I may have recruited him for the mailing list... He, along with many others, complemented me on my TH mailing list shirt! Including some girl I met in the T station who saw TH for the first time when she was a little girl at Saturday night Live, and her father always threatened to give her to the Talking Heads whenever she was bad, so she spent her whold childhood fearing TH! Okay, that's enough writing for now... PLAYLIST (outfit)
Once In A Lifetime Making Flippy Floppy (BLUE LEISURE SUIT) Gates Of Paridise Take Me To The River Buck Naked Fuzzy Freaky The Listening Wind [Tina Wheeler? plays while DB leaves to change, shoulda done Genius of Love! :)] (KILT) Dance On Vaseline Soft Seduction Back In The Box Miss America Road To Nowhere (SKIN TISSUE BODY SUIT) Psycho Killer (BLUE RACING SUIT) Amnesia I Zimbra --Keith I have to admit that I'm running hot & cold on the show last night. Definitely the least satisfying show I have ever seen/heard DB do (and I've probably seen more than most!). Highlights for me were Big Blue Plymouth, Listening Wind, Back in the Box (!!!!!! as great as on the David EnryB tour), and Road to Nowhere. However, this band is not up to the level of previous tours. Many songs would have benefited from a large band (see the Between the Teeth tour). However, the biggest downer was the audience; what's with people these days?? Most everyone was just standing around and many folks talked through the whole show. I can remember non-stop motion and dancing from the old THeads shows (including the Heads show I saw at Webster Hall....BTW, Johnette Napolitano's version of Psycho Killer walks all over the techno version that DB did last night.). I think the old bands understood the dance nature of the music better than this group. All in all, worth going, but not a religious experience (as every other show has been for me).... --Noah I went to the see David and his band last night at the Guvernment, a converted warehouse now dance floor. No seats...and a long evening ahead. It didn't put me in a good mood. Warm-up band was good, marching band instruments playing hip-hop style of music. Band was called "Coolbone" and were handing out vinyl LP's of their music at the front door! David came out in his Energizer Bunny pink fuzzy outfit and did some old Heads numbers. The playlist was pretty much the same as the Boston concert. Lots of dancing, and running on the spot for "Road to Nowhere". His female vocalist: Christine? Wheeler had *lots* of energy and a pretty voice too. They were both having a good time on the stage and played off each other especially in Miss America. That was a wild sight, David in kilt with a pair of "cha-chas" shaking *everything* in his famous quirky herkey-jerkey style. David played one new song that he had not done before: "What are they doing to me". Not especially memorable. I was disappointed with David's spooky rendition of "Psycho Killer", his voice was weak and thin, it just didn't work especially with him wearing his latex muscle skin suit. He wore that suit just for the one number. Weakest applause from the audience as well. David seemed to have the most fun in his kilt, I guess it was a lot cooler than his other outfits. Many folks in the audience were disappointed that he didn't do Burning down the house. I was too. All in all, a good show much different from his visit to Toronto a few years ago. --Robert David Byrne at The Riviera, Chicago Illinois. August 21,1997 First off, The Riviera is a great place to hear music. I can say that most concert going Chicago people love it, including me. David was on top of it, he played beautifully off the atmosphere. His performance was enthralling, captivating and yet quite normal at the same time. That is the special part of his energy, it is so different and yet very familiar to us all. You could tell he dug the vibe of theater, so did the band. The set was the same as the previous shows listed on this page and came together incredibly well. Actually, the only problem that I had with the show was a couple of girls in front of me who got into a fight about dancing too much. Whatever. The new tunes (Gates of Paradise, Soft Seduction, Fuzzy Freaky, Miss America, Dance on Vasoline) sounded better than the new record to me. The songs have now been able to breathe a bit, not that they are not great on Feelings but these versions seemed to show the lives of the songs better. They actually uncovered a song's entity a bit better. If that makes any sense. As for the old ones, I really appreciated the new life that was breathed into them. They were very fresh, and it did not sound like David with a band trying to sound Talking Headsesque, they were making there own interpretations. The audience in Chicago seemed to love that as well. Anyway, no sense in me going on about it, I just wanted to voice my opinion, this tour is great, please go see it! --Scott 8/21/97 Riviera Theater - Chicago, IL Lucky enough to see The Heads across town in the spring, now the head Head last night. If only they could cross paths. Unlike the Heads, this show did not sell out. David Launched the show decked out in his pink, fuzzy suit (as seen on Letterman) with a rather spare entourage: Female backup vocalist, keyboardist, and percussionist. A large black square at the back of the stage was the only stage decoration. I can't help comparing this performance to The Heads show earlier this year. The Heads were much better than I had expected. Packing a phenomenal on-stage energy. David was good, but a little cold, too calculated. In "Between The Teeth" he seemed much looser, more improvisational. Of course, for that show he was backed by a dozen-or-so-piece band. Last night a computer supplied the necessary brass parts (Miss America) and a good deal of the percussion. David didn't pick up the guitar as often either, which is disappointing because of the amazing things he does with it. In have to admit, for $25 you're better off buying the video, skip the concert. (If you already have the video (or a trust fund) go to the concert too.) --Brandon I just saw David last night in Denver's Paramount theatre, and all I can say is wow. I don't know what the other reviewers saw, but he was full of energy and looked like he was having a lot of fun. He came out in his pink suit starting off with once in a lifetime. He changed his clothes many times going next into this funky pea green outfit then into a kilt. After the kilt he came out and did Psycho killer in his anatomy suit. He did the song similar to SMS and enden it standing in a fetal position with only a spotlight on him closing in. He came back out in this black jumpsuit with orange flames around his waist to do back in the box. Afterwards he invited the opening band back onstage (Coolbone, awesome band from New Orleans) and the two jammed together for a while. He came back out and lamented the fact that Denver has a curfew on the weekdays, and told us he would play us a lullaby, ending the concert after a two hour performance. I was a little dissapointed he didn't play Buck Naked or Wicked Little Doll, but all I can say is that it was perhaps the best concert I have seen. -Abe Drucker, Denver,CO After 13 years of being a TH fan, I finally got to see David play. I saw the Tom Tom Club 9 years ago, well actually I caught the tail end of their set when they did Izimbra and Burning Down The House. I miss the Talking Heads and would like to see them, but David is a good solo act. The Set was very similar to all the others -90 minutes, consisting of12 songs with 3 encores and a break for the lovely talented Christina Wheeler to show her voice. However after reading some of the reviews on here I didn't expect much. Actually the highlights were Miss America, Fuzzy Freaky, and the Techno version of Psycho Killer. His solo stuff is pretty darn good... But When it came to the TH material... I was a little disappointed with Once In A Lifetime. I Miss The Wiry Eno sound behind it... I forgot the name of the Instrument... Also the additional percussion from the Stop Making Sense movie. What Is interesting is that Byrne is this Big Goofy Artsy guy doing pop dance songs. Kind of peculiar. And to a fairly mainstream audience. Although the Joint was only 70% full I could imagine Byrne doing a stint at Bally's or Caesars. After P-Killer he asked the audience "Am I ready for Vegas????" Of Course the answer is a resounding yes!!! My only gripe... no Buck Naked? -- Andy Hall, Las Vegas, NV, 8/28/97 Last nights show was one of the best Ive ever seen - def in my top 5 and I've been to over 150 concerts. He opened with Once in a Lifetime, then Making Flippy Floppy and a good amount of other T-Heads tunes generously spread around. After the first two songs it gets a little blurry from my drinkfest celebrating my favorite songsmith, but the surprises were there- His Wife Refused from Catherine Wheel and also Listening Wind from Remain in Light. Road to Nowhere was the workout for everyone- a real BOPPER! Miss America was great also Dancing on Vaseline too from the new album. He closed with I zimbra, and i swore i heard a little bit of Hendrix's version of Watchtower. He even smiled broadly at the end of the show with 3 countem 3 encores! Oh yeah for the Deadheads out there - he wore a S.E.V.A. shirt when he had his kilt on! Byrne's voice was Angelic! The Joint is by far the best venue in Vegas to see someone! -- Steve Risley David Byrne at the Warfield, San Francisco, 28 August 1997 The show was billed as 'David Byrne and guest'. We entered the venue to see quite a large amount of electronic equipment set up on stage. Two sets of DJ turntables connected to some form of mixing desk contraption - to the left an old organ and a Leslie speaker box. The opening act turned out to be four guys calling themselves 'Tipsy' - the guy on the mixing desk looping really cheesy retro samples - two guys on the turntables scratching/mixing over the samples and a fourth member on - get this - accordion and organ. The effect was nothing like I had ever heard before - sort of Lawrence Welk doing a lounge act on acid !!! Having seen U2 here a few weeks before - it was really interesting to see another act start with a DJ/mixing act instead of a traditional band. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for these guys ... On to the main course of the evening. David Byrne arrived on stage with his three band members. Bassist, drummer (with minimal conventional drum kit and maximal electronic stuff), keyboard player and female vocalist. Gone was the amazing brass section of the previous tour, this was David Byrne stripped down (on a budget ??). David was decked out in a day-glo pink suit made from what looked like shag carpeting. Imagine a pink Wookie, with buttons (sans the demeanor and fangs ...). The band went on to play a mixture of Talking Heads standards and stuff from his last two albums. It was great to see David moving/dancing in his familiar jerky fashion - especially during the Talking Heads numbers - many audience members followed suit. Further costume changes for David included a kilt , (showcasing his incredibly sexy knees and keeping us up front guessing !!), a sort of green army like get-up with 'Byrne' above the left pocket, a body suit with a flame motif and finally a 'Grays Anatomy' body suit showing the bones and muscles of the body (once again - doesn't Bono wear a similar sort of top on the current U2 tour ??). On seeing David in the flame body suit a fellow reveler next to me says 'Oh yes !!! Burning down the house !!!'. Unfortunately we were disappointed. Highlights of the evening included a great versions of 'I Zimbra' and an even better version of 'Psycho Killer'. Maybe its because I've been listening to a large dose of techno/trance stuff for the last few years, but I really like the version I heard last night. Considerable use was made of samples - both by the drummer and keyboardist - anyone else notice the Martha Wash sample during 'I Zimbra' ?? During a costume change the female vocalist was left on stage with a Theramin and some or other sampling/mixing deck. She would sample her voice - loop it, and sing over the top. Great to see a Theramin used in live performance ... so Leftfield are not the only band to hip to this rather unique sounding instrument. At the end of one of the songs David lashed out at his guitar and placed it back in its stand - screaming with feedback (the guitar - not David !!), he seemed really amused by this ... David gave his all during the show and we were very appreciative - definitely more so than the last time I saw him. This is probably due to the fact that he played more Talking Heads stuff ... lets hope he realizes that this is what the audience wants to hear - not stuff from his rather mediocre albums since the band broke up. (Andre dons his flame retardant underwear ...) Two of his comments I remember during the show were (and I paraphrase) 'This is a song I didn't sing' and 'I wrote this on the way to a wedding on Coney Island, the sword swallower married the fire eater - they opened up a business designing web pages ... they turned from freaks to geeks !!!' So, for me, this was a minimalist David Byrne embarking on a more up-to-date, more electronic assisted sound, while definitely re-exploring some of his Talking Heads roots. Please tell me this is in preparation for a reunion tour !! As you would expect he is morphing with the times and keeping up with current trends as well as creating a few new ones. We left the Warfield drenched. Commemorative 'Bill Graham Presents' flyers of the event were handed out at the door. A second sold-out show is scheduled for this evening. --Andre Seegers I caught David in Washington DC last night after making a pilgramage from Pittsburgh. Over the summer I missed the tour because I was disgruntled with the new album and all the reports about him personally...the web site with all the info about the tour got me to thinking I was missing out and I realized last night that I really would have if I hadn't gone. Amazing, truly amazing show. He played for two hours and did most of the songs he was doing this summer. There were some REALLY pleasant surprises though. Big Blue Plymouth and the Listening Wind shocked me with excitement and surprise. I never would have expected to see these live (But he's done that before...playing stuff off Bush of Ghosts on the last tour). Both songs were really great to see live and updated from the studio versions. Other vintage songs included were I Zimbra (wonderful jammy/electro extended version), Take Me to the River, Psycho Killer (mike didn't work for the first verse, after he was wielding it like an ax, but was still creepy as hell and really powerful...I don't understand what all the complaints are about the new version...there are actually good alternatives to guitar based rock once and a while), Once in a Lifetime, making flippy floppy, and Road to Nowhere (I think that's it). There were also oodles of songs off the new album (which seemed better than the actual album) in addition to Buck Naked and Back in The Box. I thought the show really redeemed the way I feel about good ol' david. All this shit about him being an asshole and all the pretentious rock stuff, as well as complaunts about the album went down the tubes. I refuse to buy into any more of the stuff floating around about him. He had one of the best shows I've seen in a long time...maybe the besh show I've seen since his last tour for davidenryb which was much more conservative and self referential. They were both amazing tours but I feel that the return to "old" form with great new twists is perfect. He was in such good spirits...laughing a lot and dancing his ass off. Too bad he isn't as prolific as some other artists in the genre I feel he excels at...then we'd get to see him that much more... Still reeling from the show,
--Lorne
|
Home is where I want to be
(C) Francey / Studio
Zimbra 2000