It Was The Place

Sometimes two things, when combined, create such a magical result it is tough to capture with words. Skipping the usual food cliché’s of peanut butter & jelly, milk & cookies, and salt & pepper, I will say the pairing of David Byrne and St. Vincent appeared to be a sort of musical Bonnie and Clyde – that is: unpredictable, notorious, and possibly explosive.

How would the former Talking Heads front man mesh with the young singer/song writer? That question was answered with the June release of the duo’s first single, “Who”. A brass heavy song with an infectious beat, it left many anxiously waiting for the entire album, “Love This Giant”, and subsequent tour.

Their first show back in America after a two night stop in Canada, the Orpheum Theatre crowd was anxiously waiting for things to kick off.

Instruments were brought out and tuned as the audience began to slowly file into their seats. Before appearing, David Byrne made an announcement from backstage to encourage picture taking and audio/visual recording, but cautioning that the most important thing to capture the show on was your memory.

Kicking off the show with “Who,” the Byrne and St. Vincent preformed healthy blend of cuts from Love This Giant, covers of their solo work, and even two Talking Heads songs.

The band, which Byrne introduced by name a la “Stop Making Sense” between encores, was an integral part of the stage show. Marching, dancing, crisscrossing, and at one point even lying on the stage, the movement of the band as a whole fit each song’s tone precisely.

During Naïve Melody, Byrne showed he hasn’t lost a step as he ages, preforming unconventional yet graceful dance moves as only he can. His voice is still as strong as ever – showing no signs of wear or tear.

The audience, sometimes sitting, was electric during the encore of “Burning Down The House”, an obvious fan favorite.

He may be older, but David Byrne still brings a unique, philosophical, and insanely creative perspective on music to the table. The addition of St. Vincent is a perfect complement to his sound, and if the tour comes by your town, you would be doing a disservice to yourself to miss it.

SETLIST
Who, Weekend in the Dust, Save Me From What I Want, Strange Overtones, I Am An Ape, Marrow, This Must Be The Place (Naïve Meldody), The Forest Awakes, Ice Age, Like Humans Do, Lightning, Lazarus, Cheerleader, Lazy, I Should Watch TV, Northern Lights, The One Who Broke Your Heart, Outside Of Space and Time
E: Cruel, Burning Down The House
E2: The Party, Road To Nowhere