Byrne Baby Byrne

So, I wasn’t planning on being in the Cuse this weekend, but since my best laid plans fell apart, I decided to go see David Byrne at the Landmark Theater on Saturday night.  

I mentioned in an earlier post that I saw Byrne in St. Petersburg, Russia and it was one of the best concerts of my life. Of course, the Saturday night concert failed to live up to my glowing memories of yore (doesn’t it always work that way?). Byrne mostly sang songs from his new album–a collaboration with songwriter and star producer Brian Eno called Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.  Eno (who I’ve met in St. Petersburg–he keeps an apartment there), famously produced several of the early Talking Heads’ albums like Fear of Music and Remain in Light.  He also produced U2’s most successful albums: The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, and Achtung Baby as well as my favorite David Bowie album of all time, Low.  

Byrne mostly steered clear of the old TH stuff except for “Heaven” and “Life During Wartime” from Fear of Music and “Once in a Lifetime” from Remain in Light.  He did an encore of “Burning Down the House”, probably the Talking Heads’ greatest hit and Take Me To The River, TH’s version of the Al Green song.  

The show featured three dancers who performed some choreographed and improvisational moves throughout the concert. It was odd at first, but I think it worked.  

After the show, I convinced my friend, Dan, to wait with me by the backstage exit for an autograph.  It worked.  And here’s the photo to prove it.  

-Jen Davis

~ by syracusesoundreview on December 1, 2008.