The post David Byrne Layers Art, Commentary, and Joy into a Magical Night at Radio City Music Hall: Review + Photos appeared first on Consequence.
A David Byrne concert is not like most concerts — it is a show, in every sense of the word. The artist has been crafting his unique brand of spectacle for decades, from the greatest concert film of all time with Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, to the tour-turned-Broadway-smash-turned-HBO-movie American Utopia. At 73 years young, the kooky genius is proving he hasn’t lost his touch with his latest world tour supporting his new album, Who Is the Sky?
Byrne brought the tour home on Tuesday, September 30th for the first of two nights at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. There might not be a better venue for such a production. For one, the Utopia concept of a mobile band (I will never not be fascinatingly amused by the keyboard harness) returns, along with a quintet of backup dancer-singers. Every song is choreographed like a marching band conducted by a theatrical goof, as performers weave in and out of each other, occasionally get lifted into the air, and shift into dramatic blocking.
But as tightly arranged as it all is, this conductor — Byrne — is no Martha Graham. It seems he invites a looseness, such that you could imagine his conversations with choreographer Steven Hoggett being, “Okay, and here let’s wiggle around a bit. Just have fun with it.” The lack of rigidity allows the joy of being in the moment to move through the troupe’s limbs and out over the audience. Everyone gets their moment of spotlight, and choosing different individuals to follow during different songs is part of the fun; Byrne himself pleasantly blends amongst all the shifting blue suits (though he does stand out on the occasional, forgivable flub of the dance movements).
The stage design itself is a simple-yet-complex wonder, primarily three staggered screens cordoning off the stage from the world backstage. The floor-to-ceiling displays shift scenes throughout: fuzzy little cartoon characters push away the darkness on “Like Humans Do,” lush woods and countryside roll by on “Naïve Melody (This Must Be the Place),” and we’re given a 3D look at Byrne’s tastefully appointed apartment on “My Apartment Is My Friend” and the cover of Paramore’s “Hard Times.” The floor itself is also a screen, its images crossing right into the side screens as in the rug on “My Apartment…,” the waves during “Slippery People,” and perhaps most intriguingly the names under each performer on “Independence Day.”
That latter song utilizes the tech in a truly intriguing way. Those names also display on the large back panel across a starry sky, moving about to actively match the stage blocking. There must be a neat trick to pulling off that tracking, as it’s very obviously live and not pre-mapped; anyone with an interest in interactive art will get a kick out of trying to figure it out. Watching on the hanging screens on either side of the stage creates a sort of green screen effect, where it looks as if the performers and the projections aren’t necessarily in the same plane of existence, though you clearly see they are. It’s another surreal — or perhaps super-real — wrinkle to the artistry of the whole show.
But the screens aren’t just there for graphic wizardry. Ahead of “Like Humans Do,” we see Italians singing from their balconies during the pandemic. The hot blue backdrop present for much of the absolutely phenomenal arrangement of “Life During Wartime” gives way to flashes of anti-ICE and pro-Palestine protests. Slogans like “Make America Gay Again” and the Burger King-riffing “No Kings” bring crowd cheers when they’re shown during a new number we’ll call “T-Shirt” (“See my T-shirt/ Take it off/ Dance these shoes off/ Till we drop”).
While this clearly isn’t a “leave your politics out of my music” type of show, there isn’t exactly overt commentary. It’s more interstitial, as Byrne often addresses the audience between songs like he’s giving a presentation. Sometimes he’ll explain the heart-thumping arrangement of “Psycho Killer,” or remind us of the beauty of singing for strangers like those locked down Italians. Before “What Is the Reason for It?”, he recalls the first time he heard the recently popular phrase “love and kindness are the new punk rock.” Prior to encore opener “Everybody’s Coming to My House,” he makes a heartfelt statement about how no matter the crap of the world, “People love being together.”
He leaves the “anti” statements to the screens (or the “actual” punks over at CBGB Fest), and Byrne’s message instead emphasizes the “pro”: pro-joy, pro-caring, pro-togetherness. The performance is built on an incredible setlist that features the best of Who Is the Sky? along with all the hits you want — “Once in a Lifetime” lives up to its status as one of the greatest songs of all time, and “Burning Down the House” is a massive closer. But this isn’t just a concert — it’s a show, one that layers art, commentary, and joy into a magical evening. There are plentiful moments to enjoy, wonders to ponder, and hopefully feelings to take with you after the curtain falls, making it just the latest of David Byrne’s can’t-miss tours. (See for yourself by getting tickets here.)
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