heaven…heaven is a place…where david byrne plays for 2+ hours” or, david byrne @ the palace theatre/louisville, ky (10.21.2008)

click on the photo to see more pictures

oh. my. lord.

i had predicted earlier that hands down, tom waits @ the fox would be, with out a doubt, the best show i saw this year. i now retract that.

i just saw david byrne turn in a two + hour abso-fucking-lutely amazing show of both musical and visual beauty. honestly, immediately afterwards, i didn’t have words to describe it, it was still soaking into my mind, my body and my soul. i wouldn’t say it was “better” than tom, but it was every damn bit as good…and that’s saying a lot.

wow!

what a truly amazing incredible night of music. i have been a long time talking heads fans and love david byrne’s solo work, this was my first time seeing him live, i can only hope it is not the last.

below is a review from the louisville courier-journal…

Byrne burns down the Palace
Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier-Journal (Louisville KY), 21 October 2008 [Link]

To look at him, you would never think that David Byrne is a stone-cold rhythm machine, what with his gray hair and eccentric, professorial demeanor. When he took the stage last night at the Louisville Palace, dressed entirely in white and giving a halting thesis about the show we were about to see, Byrne seemed almost timid.

That changed with the first downstroke of “Strange Overtones” and rarely faltered through the raging conclusion of “Burning Down the House.” Byrne was a James Brown carved out of ivory and animated by nervous tics, leading a relentless band through a series of relentless songs, and he earned a sustained, almost ecstatic ovation.

The show was all about motion, in the music and on the stage.

Most songs were built on the polyrhythms of Afropop, expanding the sound Byrne created with Talking Heads and creating huge grooves that seemed effortless, almost weightless. Three dancers played a major role, another common aspect of live African music, and were occasionally joined by Byrne and three back-up singers.

It was almost an interactive live art installation as the dancers roamed the stage with choreography that carefully mimicked chaos, crossing in front of Byrne, catching him in a trust fall and once breaking the fourth wall to teach the singers how to dance.

Byrne’s dancing was completely charming; he sometimes looked as if he were being controlled by a puppeteer with palsy, but would suddenly bust a supremely graceful move.

The show was based on past and present collaborations between Byrne and musician/producer Brian Eno, with several songs from the new album, “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.” They were hit and miss, ranging from the very strong (“One Fine Day,” “Strange Overtones”) to the mediocre (“Life is Long,” “The River”).

Not surprisingly, it was the Talking Heads songs that went over best, and with good reason. “Houses In Motion,” “Life During Wartime,” “Once In A Lifetime” and “Burning Down the House” were all less sterile than the original versions, with an aggressive, even ferocious, edge. “Burning Down the House” was particularly thrilling and had the crowd wired.

“Consider it burnt,” a friend said, which is as accurate and succint a review as you’ll find.

Strange Overtones
I Zimbra
One Fine Day
Help Me Somebody
Houses in Motion
My Big Nurse
My Big Hands
Heaven
Never Thought
The River
Crosseyed & Painless
Life is Long
Once in Lifetime
Life During Wartime
I Feel My Stuff
Encore 1:
Take Me to the River
The Great Curve
Air
Encore 2:
Burning Down the House
Encore 3:
Everything that Happens
Home

David Byrne – “Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno” Tour

David Byrne | New York, New York | December 2003
photo by Michael Wilson

this should be pretty amazing. i’m hoping to be @ the louisville or indy (or both) shows.

09-16 Bethlehem, PA – Zoellner Arts Center
09-17 Baltimore, MD – Lyric
09-18 Newport News, VA – Ferguson Center for the Arts
09-20 Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park Amphitheatre
09-21 Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
09-22 Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
09-23 Memphis, TN – Orpheum Theatre
09-25 Austin, TX – Paramount
09-26 Austin, TX – Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival)
09-28 Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium
09-30 Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre
10-02 San Diego, CA – Humphreys Concerts by the Bay
10-03 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
10-04 Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre
10-06 San Francisco, CA – Davies Symphony Hall
10-08 Santa Rosa, CA – Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
10-11 Park City, UT – Eccles Center for the Performing Arts
10-12 Denver, CO – Buell Theater
10-14 Minneapolis, MN – State Theater
10-15 Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
10-17 Omaha, NE – Kiewit Concert Hall
10-18 St. Louis, MO – Fox Theatre
10-19 Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theatre
10-21 Louisville, KY – Palace Theater
10-23 Cleveland, OH – Allen Theatre
10-24 Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater
10-25 Indianapolis, IN – Clowes Memorial Hall
10-26 Chicago, IL – Civic Opera House
10-29 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall
10-30 Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis
10-31 Boston, MA – Wang Center
11-01 Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata
11-03 Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre
11-05 Albany, NY – Empire State Plaza
11-07 Pittsburgh, PA – Carnegie Music Hall
11-08 Philadelphia, PA – Tower Theatre

*Brian Eno is not a part of the tour.