F E A T U R E D P E R F O R M A N C E
BYRNE FINDS REASONS TO
CHEER
SUMMER 2018 | artsLife 33
t’s a fertile time for songwriters consumed
with the political and social upheaval
that seems to multiply with every 24-hour
news cycle. But that’s only part of the
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solo studio album in 14 years from ex-Talking
Heads front man David Byrne.
The Scottish-born Byrne — who became
a joint U.S.-U.K. citizen in 2012 — has been
vocal about his growing distaste for the political
situation in America. But he has cautioned
against anyone expecting the new
album to be some sort of manifesto.
Instead, the 10 tracks offer a mixture of
cynicism and hope, combining whimsical
lyrics, irresistible rhythms and old-school
rock muscle to create a hybrid that compares
favorably to his best work.
The New York Times calls the compilation
— which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard
200 — “a cheerful dystopia,” while Rolling
Stone opines that Byrne has thrown “a weird
party in his mind” where light and dark elements
mingle.
Byrne will perform some of those intriguing
new songs — plus older material from his Talking
Heads days — when he brings his American
Utopia Tour to the Walt Disney Theater
on September 28. Showtime is 8 p.m. and
tickets are priced starting at $54.50.
Tune-Yards, an indie-pop band fronted by
Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner, will open
for Byrne, who with his former Talking Heads
bandmates was inducted into the Rock &
Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. During the induction
ceremony, the pioneering new wave
foursome reunited to play four tracks, including
“Psycho Killer” and “Burning Down
the House.”
The tour will be as interesting visually as it
is musically. There’ll be a 12-piece band —
heavy on percussion — playing against the
backdrop of a simple chain curtain with
which light and shadow effects are created.
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will be “untethered” from their instruments.
If you haven’t seen Byrne since his Talking
Head days, you should know that he’s
ditched the oversized suits he wore in his
youth and is now a very dapper, white-haired
gentleman of 65.
Which, of course, doesn’t mean that he
won’t rock the house.
Talking Heads helped to pioneer new
wave music by integrating elements of
punk, funk and art rock. The band was the
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Stop Making Sense, directed by Jonathan
Demme, and continued to tour and record
until calling it quits in 1991.
I
THE TALKING HEADS FOUNDER TAKES STOCK
OF LIFE, AND HAS AN OPTIMISTIC MESSAGE.