David Byrne @ Red Butte Gardens 6/21/09
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| David Byrne and I go way back. That's not to say that he would know me from Adam, he wouldn't. But almost 30 years ago he was a catalyst for showing me a new way to hear music. The year was 1980. I had casual knowledge of David's legendary band Talking Heads (they had yet to reach legendary status), and kind-of-sort-of knew the connection to CBGB's and the New York punk/new wave scene from which they came, but I had never owned a Talking Heads record, and probably could only name one Talking Heads song (Psycho Killer). Back in those days, before MTV or progressive radio, one had to rely on either word of mouth or on music publications (Rolling Stone, NME) for information on more alternative types of music or music scenes in other areas of the country. If memory serves me correctly I believe I had come across a review of the new Talking Heads album "Remain In Light." Something obviously sparked my interest because I remember going down to a small record shop located in the north end of the Crossroads Mall (can't remember the name. Not Eli's) specifically to buy the album. I'll never forget bringing the record home and listening to it in my sister Heather's bedroom (my turntable must have been broken) while perusing the liner notes and lyric sheet. It was truly a life changing moment for me. From the first bars of the opening track, "Born Under Punches," I was fixated. I had never heard anything quite like it! It was this experience and this specifically that album that sent me squarely down a (what was then) truly alternative course in my musical consumption. Thank you David Byrne, Talking Heads, and (producer) Brian Eno for that gift! Fast forward to today. The Talking Heads haven't been together in 20 years, David Byrne's solo career has proven to be less that remarkable, and I find myself a balding middle-aged man. I have seen David Byrne once in concert on his "Rei Momo" tour with Mike and Robyn at the old, outdoor Triad Amphitheater in 1989. It was a great show and I have good memories of him coming out and playing about a half dozen Talking Heads songs by himself on an acoustic guitar before letting the curtain behind him fall, revealing a large, mainly Brazilian band, who burned down the house (pun intended). Well, that was twenty years ago now, and I haven't had any interest at all in what Mr. Byrne has been doing in that time. I suppose I had sampled a few of his songs during the 90's, but they all failed to spark any renewed interest. Then, my friend Derek bought me his newest c.d. for my birthday last year. This one DID catch my interest because it was a collaboration between David Byrne and one of my biggest musical heros, legendary artist and onetime Talking Heads producer, Brian Eno. If I'm fully honest I must say that the c.d., "Anything That Happens Will Happen Today," was not as brilliant as I might have hoped upon initial listening. Of course just knowing it was Brian Eno and David Byrne together, one might be forgiven for having excessive expectations for the album. The album was solid however, and I did listen to it on occasion. So, when Tee and I first arranged to see David Byrne on the "Anything That Happens" tour with Mike and Robyn, I was immediately excited; curious to see what his live take on the album would be. I figured it would be a low-key affair, with David playing the older, mellower crooner, making his way through the material from the new album with a few obligatory Talking Heads hits. Well, lucky for me I would be proven wrong. I had never been to the concert venue at Red Butte Gardens although we are members of the garden itself and have done numerous picnics with Mike and Robyn there. I've always been aware of the summer concert series that is held at their amphitheater, but the lineups are often mediocre in my book, or just as often music that's not of as much interest to me. I also have been aware of the general admission seating at Red Butte and this has always put me off a bit as well. However, when I was initially sent this years lineup via the springtime member's mailer I was very pleasantly surprised to find two shows that I was immediately determined to see; David Byrne, Chicago (my childhood favorite band), and Diana Krall. I bought tickets to all three shows the first day they went on sale, but wasn't at all sure of the protocol per waiting in line or securing seats at the venue. Luckily Mike and Robyn had been to several shows in the past here and would help guide the process. As such the girls went to wait in line a couple of hours ahead of time, while the guys finished up prepping the picnic items that we would be bringing. I picked up Mike and headed to Red Butte. On the way there we discussed our parking options, as this would be a pretty big crowd and the parking situation is limited there. I told him of my "Zen Parking" philosophy, which says that anytime you have a situation in which you are looking for parking at a large event or crowded area the very first thing you do is drive right up to the front of the event or right to the building, door, or entrance you eventually want to access. Most people in those situations just assume that the best parking is already taken and park far away. It's amazing how many times I find parking right up front if I always at least check the best parking before heading away to park further. I had said to Mike that Zen Parking works for me about 80% of the time, so as we got closer to Red Butte we decided to head right for the main parking lot in front of the Garden entrance (not the Amphitheater entrance). This is a small parking lot that even sometimes has a hard time accommodating patrons to the Garden on a given night. But sure enough, as soon as we pulled in there was a car backing out from the spot very closest to the head of the small trail leading to the amphitheater! Zen Parking comes through again! The gates to the venue had opened 15 or 20 minutes before we arrived, but the line to get in was long. Luckily it moved quickly and as we progressed we got a phone call from the girls saying they had already secured a nice spot for us. It took us several minutes to find them once we got in but happy to see how well located they were. I hadn't realized that our good friends Brian and Lynette were going to be there, but when we found the girls they were sitting with them. Apparently Tee and Robyn had seen Brian and Lynette while waiting in line. They were far further up in line than Tee and Robyn but claimed a space for all of us once they got in. Thanks guys! We sat visiting, snacking, and drinking wine together for almost an hour before the show began. I quickly realized that I had forgotten about half our food, but luckily had brought some of the better stuff we had prepared. Turned out we had plenty. |
| As I continued to look around the crowd I was struck by how little this crowd looked like a "David Byrne crowd." I think of David Byrne as urbane, artsy, cerebral, and somewhat esoteric. In my mind at least, this crowd did not reflect much of that at all. We played a little game trying to name the artist who was playing that night if you were to guess based strictly on the "look" of the crowd. The crowd appeared very "crunchy," as Tee and I like to say. Lots of "outdoorsy" and "hippyesque" folks. At least far more than I ever would have expected at a David Byrne show. I made a couple of suggestions, including James Taylor and Lucinda Williams. I also was joking with Brian about how they should just automatically kick out all of those in the crowd who didn't own "Fear Of Music" (one of the more obscure Talking Heads albums that both Brian and I have long had an affinity). I also was conscious of thinking how great it would be if David Byrne were to play a cut or two from that album, yet KNOWING it wouldn't happen. After about an hour of hanging out and after a coupe of big wind gusts that kept everyone guessing as to how the weather would turn, David Byrne took the stage. He and everyone in the band were dressed in all white. David Byrne dressed in a long sleeved white collared shirt, white jeans, and white shoes (all of which matched his hair!). His band included a bass player, drummer, percussionist, keyboard player, three backup singers, and David on guitar. There was to be a special bonus to his on stage entourage, which was the dance troupe that provided a whole different dimension to the show by doing some truly inventive and complimentary dances throughout the show. He began the show with a great cut from the new album called "Strange Overtones". They sounded REALLY good right from the start. They then broke into a much lesser know Talking Heads song called "I Zimba," Brian and I looked at each other wide-eyed. This is a song from the "Fear Of Music" album we had been convinced he wouldn't play from. Sounded amazing! He continued to play a VERY impressive set of songs that included things from the new album and mostly Talking Heads songs, including many obscure songs which only the more serious Talking Heads fans would recognize (including FOUR from "Fear Of Music!"). I was THRILLED! |
| Here's the night's full playlist: Strange Overtones, I Zimba, One Fine Day, Help Me Somebody, Houses In Motion, My Big Nurse, My Big Hands, Heaven, Air, Life Is Long, Cross-eyed And Painless, Once In A Lifetime, Life During Wartime, I Feel My Stuff. Encore #1: Take Me To The River, The Great Curve Encore #2: Burning Down The House, Road To Nowhere, Everything That Happens Most songs were great dance numbers and the crowd took every advantage; standing, dancing, and cheering throughout the bulk of the show. I'm sure many people were feeling as I was, very pleasantly surprised just how good the show was. The setting was also wonderful. As the show went on night fell. The stage lights (particularly those lighting up the trees just behind center stage), the dancers and the white outfits of those on stage created a dramatic effect. I turned to Tee at one point and said "The only thing that would make this scene more perfect would be if the full moon was coming up over the mountain!" And I almost expected it might. The show was obviously having an especially dramatic effect when I turned to Tee again during "Once In A Lifetime" and Tee was crying. I asked if she was ok and she told me she was a bit overwhelmed and happy to be hearing that song in that setting. I could feel what she meant. When David and the band took the stage they were not only still dressed in all white, but everyone had donned tutu-like white skirts. It was a gesture very much in line with the humorous and party-like atmosphere of the night. It made for a great image that will stick with me as the mental touchstone for this night for a long time. Robyn and I sang the last lines of "Everything That Happens" together as the show came to a close. I haven't been left with such a sense of satisfaction at the end of a concert since the Radiohead show at USANA Amphitheater in 2003. And to think I hadn't even seen it coming... |