David Byrne
June 14, 2009
Majestic Theater
Better than: just about anything else happening on a Sunday night.
Dressed in all white, like some kind of angelic delivery boy, legendary indie rock icon David Byrne thrilled a packed house at the Majestic Theatre with two hours of angular pop/funk that was downright inflammable.
The former Talking Heads mainstay was touring in support of his most recent effort, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his second collaboration with vaunted knob-twister Brian Eno.
Nonetheless, over 80 percent of the set was taken up by Talking Heads material; and most of that came, joyfully, from Remain in Light, the band's 1980 masterwork.
With the help of his top-notch 10-piece assemblage of musicians and
dancers, Byrne brought vigor to songs both old and new. Whether it was
a Heads chestnut such as "Once in a Lifetime" or a surprisingly
obscure choice such as "My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks" from
Twyla Tharp's little-known Broadway piece The Catherine Wheel, Byrne
and crew locked on to a groove and never faltered. Toward the middle
of the set, Byrne brought the crowd to its feet with a killer series of
songs that included "Cross-eyed and Painless," "Houses in Motion,"
"Life During Wartime" and "Heaven."
Even more impressive were the selections from Byrne and Eno's 1981
collaboration My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Replacing the original
"found" recordings with his own vocals, Byrne turned "Help Me Somebody"
into an intense religious metaphor instead of just an egg-headed
experiment in electronic manipulation.
After encores that included "Burning Down the House" (but surprisingly
no "Psycho Killer"), Byrne finally ended the evening with the title
track from the newest effort. Although certainly not as familiar to the
audience as what came before, the peaceful song proved a perfect cool
down for the hectic frenzy that preceded it.
Critic's Notebook
Personal Bias: The Talking Heads' Remain in Light remains one of my
favorite albums, and the fact that Byrne based his entire set around the
30-year-old effort demonstrates what high regard he must also hold the
record in. The Heads would go on to bigger commercial success, sure, but Byrne
would never again write a more cohesive set of songs.
Random Note: Economy? What economy? Despite ticket prices that ranged
from $40 to $90, the Majestic Theatre was packed--even the balconies.
And the wine/beer line snaked from counter to door throughout most of the
evening. Thoroughly plied with libations, the crowd was loud and rowdy
from start to finish, making this evening definitely one to remember.
