Review: David Byrne brings energy, enthusiasm to Borgata show
At 9:10 p.m., Byrne strolled on stage accompanied by a four-piece band that included a drummer and a percussionist and three backup singers. There were empty seats in the front and on the sides of the orchestra, so Byrne figured anyone who didn't show up after the first three songs wasn't going to make it. He encouraged those sitting further in the back to fill up the empty seats, which they did without security stopping them. Byrne said having all the seats filled up front would make him and the band feel better. The performance took off from that point forward. The tour is billed as the songs of Byrne and Brian Eno, one of rock's most accomplished producers, who worked with David Bowie, Paul Simon and most famously, U2. Byrne and Eno collaborated for the first time in 30 years on a new CD, titled "Everything that Happens will Happen Today." The album is available digitally, but ships as a CD on Nov. 30. Byrne played more than just Talking Heads and new songs as he dipped back to 1981 to perform the song "Help Me Somebody," from the album "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts," an influential recording he had done with Eno that is full of samples and ethnic beats. As immortalized in the great 1984 concert film of a live Talking Heads show, "Stop Making Sense," Byrne was the visual focal point for that band. But on this solo tour, the trio of dancers took over the theatrics running between Byrne and his microphone during the Talking Heads song "Houses in Motion" and incorporating the three backup singers in their routines at times. "You folks coming in late, sit wherever you can. Don't worry about your assigned seat," said Byrne after the joyous performance of "Houses in Motion." Byrne frequently used the mellower material from "Everything that Happens will Happen Today" to pace the concert after the more high-energy Talking Heads songs. During the 20-song, 110-minute concert, Byrne performed eight of the 12 songs on the standard CD along with a bonus track, titled "Never Thought." His new solo material with Eno sounded like the more meditative side of Talking Heads. Audience members - later baby boomers who remembered Byrne from his early-to-mid 1980s heyday - cheered and applauded after every song, but sang along to the Talking Heads tunes. The performance of the Talking Heads song, "Crosseyed and Painless," from the band's best CD, 1980's "Remain in Light," was one highlights of the night. People in the orchestra started standing and dancing at their seats and in the aisles because the music was so infectious. It was a tune where all the musicians played African and funk-influenced rhythmic patterns with their instruments, which made it difficult to sit still. Unlike "Crosseyed and Painless," where the crowd stood hesitantly, "Once in a Lifetime," one of the most famous Talking Heads songs, caused the people to spring immediately to their feet. The tune can be heard in the theatrical trailer of the new Oliver Stone film, "W." "Feel My Stuff," the last song in the main part of the concert and one of the tunes from the new CD, featured the dancers, backup singers and Byrne moving in sync at the stage's center. When the frantic section of the song came, the dancers stepped up their movements to the point where sweat flew off the head of the lone male dancer. When the main section of the show ended, Byrne repeatedly said thank you and applauded back as the crowd stood and clapped. He, his band and the dancers came back for three encores that included Byrne's most famous song, the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House." Byrne's work with Eno in the late 1970s and early 1980s broke barriers by blending rock, funk and African music into something intoxicating. With Byrne doing away with protocol Saturday and having some of his most enthusiastic fans move from the back of the theater to the front, he created a synergy between appreciative musicians and worshipful admirers that mark the most memorable shows.
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