Date: Sunday 1 February, 2009
With: Nole, Vince and Kathy
We had great seats for this most anticipated event. I have always loved Talking Heads, and most of Byrne's solo stuff, yet had never seen them live. (not entirely sure why, I imagine, lack of interested parties to come with me - the ususual!). I also am a great fan of Brian Eno.
For those that do not know (shame!) Brian Eno was the keyboard player in Roxy Music and invented ambient music way back in 1978 with his seminal album Music for airports, and was one of the first artists to introduce sampling in his music. He collaborated with Byrne on a few albums that contained samples and ambient music. He has produced Talking Heads, David Bowie, Devo, James, Coldplay, Paul Simon and U2. He is a visionary, an artist, has an incredible brain and is VERY good looking...yeah I'm a fan...
Eno's recent work includes curating the Luminous Festival at the Sydney Opera House and surrounds, doing the soundtrack to Peter Jackson's latest film - the adaptation of The Lovely Bones, and releasing an album with Byrne, Everything that happens will happen today. This is a great album, mixing the great melodies and rhythms of Talking Heads with the ambient-essence of Eno, the kind of album that leaves a smile on your face!
Byrne's tour is to support this album and all other collaborations with Eno, which we were hoping would include some Talking Heads. He produced More songs about buildings and food, Fear of Music and Remain in light. Fear of music includes my favourite Talking Heads song, Heaven, so I was hoping they would do this!
So, after the disappointment of the support band never appearing we waited in anticipation. The support was meant to be The Church...still not entirely sure what happened, we did not miss them...there just was not a support!?!
The first song of the night was Strange Overtones from the new album. They all, including Byrne, wore white and included dancers. They sounded fantastic and I was so incredibly joyous at seeing this amazing man in the flesh and hearing him in this great location I thought I would just burst!
I have been trying to track down the set list on line but to no avail, I got a generic one off a website and it looks pretty close to what we heard, or at least what I remember hearing. My brain has never been able to remember track by track a concert on the following day, but 7 months later - forget it. I can remember key songs, and usually the first and encore (but sometimes even forget them) and feelings, but never song for song.
Heaven was indeed one of the first songs from the Talking Heads era and it was perfection, well almost..Tina doing that famous bass line would make it perfection, correction Talking Heads circa 80s would make it perfection...anyway, it was damn close. Ok, I admit (and it will not be the first time on this blog) tears were in my eyes as I sang along to the gorgeous lyrics and I swear I could have left there and then and been happy and felt I had gotten my money's worth, but of course I did not...that would have been bloody stupid :)
They also did I, Zimbra, Air, Take me to the river, Crosseyed and painless, Life during wartime and Once in a lifetime (back to back and for the life of me I cannot remember which came first - who cares, we were dancin' and rockin'!!!). Of course there was much from the new album and from the Eno experimentations, all fabulous. They ended with Burning down the house, a non Eno song, but entirely appropriate. Each person on stage was wearing a white tutu - very cute and great effect! Not a person sitting in the Opera House, all on their feet, dancing and singing - what a fabulous concert!
I would easily put this up in my top 10, maybe even top 5 concerts of all time. I wish every night could be a night like that one....awesome!!!
For fans of David Byrne, you must check out his journal, my favourite blog on the net. It is a stunning array of intelligent information about music, art, architecture, life and for the last year set against the backdrop of this tour, so includes a travelogue and behind the scenes look at touring and being a bicycling enthusiast all the great bicycling areas in the world...if you are interested...oh yeah, his partner is the photographer, Cindy Sherman and he refers to her as C in his journal...I like to dream and think it is me...ok I have shared a little too much.
Here is a link to Burning Down the house from the Radio City Music Hall concert in NYC, complete with Rockettes!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xyBgGoV2AM
And his journal:
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2 comments:
Have to agree with you about this concert, Cath; it was truly awesome.
Firstly, the location of the Opera House was itself inspiring, even before the concert began.
David, whose persona it usually awkward, looked happy and relaxed. Despite the erudition of his blogs, he is not a talker (belying the Talking Heads moniker).
The concert included extensive contributions from a trio of modern dancers, joined at times by the three backing singers.
A fabulous event both musically and visually.
Hey Vince,
Glad you agree, yes the dancers (mostly) and singers were great. I was just reading up on Byrne and he is about to release a book on his touring and travels - much of what we read on the journal but I am presuming more as he mentions Ayres Rock and a few other things I have not seen in the journal. Can't wait to get a copy!
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