David Byrne, Auckland NZ, 2018

David Byrne

17th November 2018
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Mike Thornton.

Last night David Byrne, the gargantuan think-tank behind Talking Heads took his Auckland audience through a cerebral journey that was part theatre, part concert and one hundred percent pure thought-provoking brilliance.

Warming up the early arrivals, New Zealand’s own Kimbra – back for the second time this year (the first a sold out show at the Powerstation) – embodied the impending summer in the warm yellows of her ruffled outfit as she delivered an almost mini time capsule of her work. With a set that traversed all three of her albums, Kimbra worked the stage supported by both Timon Martin and Spencer Zahn. While at times the mix was a little heavy, often overshadowing the quality of Kimbra’s vocals, it was a tight set, the highlight of which was Kimbra’s remix of the gorgeous ‘Settle Down’ which morphed seamlessly into Gotye’s ‘Somebody that I Used to Know’.

As the sound of birdsong filled the arena subliminally bringing a sense of calm to the immediate surroundings, the stage was soon reset, aerial cameras providing the audience with a bird’s eye view of the single wooden chair and small table, upon which sat an oversized model of the human brain.

As the lights dimmed, from the darkness a figure could be seen making his way to the table, the applause already rising into the air as people guessed who it must be. Lights up and there sat Byrne holding the brain in a Shakespearian pose befitting that of Hamlet. ‘Here’ an almost spoken word piece from Byrne’s latest solo album entitled American Utopia, dissects the mind into regions, some that contain great details and others that are seldom used; Byrne asking at its conclusion if hallucination “is truth or merely a description”.

What certainly is truth is that David Byrne’s voice has lost absolutely none of its distinctive tone or quality despite the fact that he is now sixty-six years old. Standing before all in bare feet, his light grey suit only a few shades darker than the curtain of silver chains that framed the stage on all three sides, he was the quintessential picture of the artist that everyone has come to know and love over the last almost five decades. The first track also introduced us to two of Byrne’s eleven-piece ensemble; members Chris Giarmo and Tendayi Kuumba whose world class harmonizing vocals and synchronized dance moves often told a story all their own. By the second track, the rather satirically humorous ‘Lazy’ by X-Press 2 – co-written by Byrne -the audience are slowly introduced to the rest of his musical entourage, each one emerging from behind the curtains to ever increasing enthusiastic applause. Heavy on the percussion side of things – which works brilliantly – the ensemble is also wearing matching grey suits and like Byrne are bare footed, earthing themselves to the physical space and time that they currently inhabit.

Byrne has often cited that this tour is the most ambitious that he has undertaken since filming for ‘Stop Making Sense’, and any fan who has witnessed a show on the American Utopia tour would be hard pressed to disagree. Each song is presented in a unique way, with a different combination of instruments, not an easy feat when the stage is literally bare. There are no amplifiers, no traditional backline to speak of. Each musician completely free to move about with their instrument as they form choreographed patterns that consistently draw the eye to something new. Yes, Byrne maybe the ringleader, but he is not always the centerpiece; this is a collaboration of twelve – unquestionably talented – human individuals. From Bobby Wooten on bass to the arresting Angie Swan on guitar each performer is a sparkling facet of a singular diamond, Byrne himself occasionally donning a guitar throughout the show, his whammy bar antics during ‘Slippery People’ fabulously awe-inspiring.

While a heavily choreographed show could easily become robotic, and stale, devoid of any form of passion, Byrne and ensemble take it instead to a higher level, one that communicates so much with the simple movement of an arm, of the formation of bodies lying on the ground viewed from above. It is both entrancing and uplifting. Talking Heads tracks such as ‘I Zimbra’ and the decidedly charming ‘This must be the Place (Naïve Melody)’ make early appearances; many people no longer able to contain themselves and leaping from their seats to dance, the songs themselves fitting like jigsaw puzzle pieces around his latest work, the transition never once feeling jarring.

For those that have resisted the urge of a prior sneak peek of the set list there are also some unexpected gems, such as ‘Toe Jam’ by Brighton Port Authority (aka Fatboy Slim) and the Talking Heads track ‘Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)’ which the musicians build from the ground up, layering their instruments which as Byrne points out is also his way of proving to all – at each and every show – that they are all indeed playing live.

There are moments of darkness too, Byrne challenging the audience in his own way to step back for a moment and consider the things happening around them every day; one of the most visually powerful coming in the form of ‘Bullet’ where Byrne stands center stage with a lone light as he speaks of a bullet passing through a man, it’s conclusion seeing the light slowly move away from him the symbolism lost on no one.

Approaching the conclusion of the show and many of the performers are now sporting suits of varying shades of grey and black, their continuous exertion visible for all to see; the huge finale of ‘Burning Down the House’ only adding to it.

The first encore – defiantly demanded by the Auckland audience – was a duo of Talking Heads tracks, both ‘Road to Nowhere’ (always hugely popular) paired rather nicely with ‘The Great Curve’. But it was Byrne’s second encore that may have caught many of the audience last night off guard. Performing ‘Hell You Talmbout’ by Janelle Monáe the often-joyful choreography was disposed of, the players instead forming a line across the stage as they chanted the names of innocent African-Americans killed by police and vigilantes. While the importance of this piece may have been lost on some of the audience tonight, it in no way detracts from the overall message; to find the good in one another, to find the good in the world around us. To become one as human beings.

Walter Scott
Trayvon Martin
Sandra Bland
Kimani Gray
Emmett Till
Stephon Clark

Say their name. Say their name. Say their name.

Were you there at Spark Arena for this spectacular music legend? Or have you seen David Byrne or Talking Heads perform live at some other time? Tell us about it in the comments below!

David Byrne Setlist:

1. Here
2. Lazy
3. I Zimbra
4. Slippery People
5. I Should Watch TV
6. Dog’s Mind
7. Everybody’s Coming To My House
8. This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)
9. Once In A Lifetime
10. Doing The Right Thing
11. Toe Jam [Brighton Port Authority cover]
12. Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)
13. I Dance Like This
14. Bullet
15. Every Day Is A Miracle
16. Like Humans Do
17. Blind
18. Burning Down The House
19. Road To Nowhere [encore]
20. The Great Curve [encore]
21. Hell You Talmbout [Janelle Monáe cover] [encore]

Kimbra Setlist:

1. The Good War
2. Hi Def Distance Romance
3. Black Sky
4. Past Love
5. Limbo
6. Lightyears
7. Sweet Relief
8. Top of the World

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