Whirling heads
It wasn't a Talking Heads reunion. But for fans of that band or its frontman, David Byrne, it was the next best thing. Monday night at Red Bank's Count Basie Theatre, Byrne presented a show called "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno." About half of the songs came from the two albums he and Eno have released together: 1981's "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" and this year's "Everything that Happens will Happen Today." The other half came from the three classic Talking Heads albums that Eno produced or co-produced: 1978's "More Songs About Buildings and Food," 1979's "Fear of Music" and 1980's "Remain in Light." Byrne also performed "My Big Hands," which he wrote for the Twyla Tharp dance project "The Catherine Wheel"; and a Talking Heads hit, "Burning Down the House," that was influenced by Eno, but was not an actual Eno collaboration. Eno, who rarely makes public appearances, is not participating in the tour. But Byrne was ably backed by a seven-piece band, and three dancers whose quirky steps echoed the music's avant-garde flavor. One of the dancers leapfrogged over Byrne, as he was playing his guitar, during "Once in a Lifetime." Another whirled in circles during the musical climax of "Life During Wartime." The band's three backing vocalists sometimes danced, too, as did Byrne. At a few points in the show, he played his guitar while walking or running backwards. During "Houses in Motion," he fell back into the dancers' supporting arms, while continuing to strum. During "Life Is Long," he and the dancers sat in office chairs, and slowly rotated. All the musicians and dancers dressed in white, and everything they did seemed to be plotted out in advance. No note or beat was wasted, and every movement, however slight, seemed to be there for dramatic effect. Even the stark, monochromatic lighting scheme reinforced the idea that this show was a cross between a rock concert and experimental theater. This description may make it seem like the show was sterile. But it wasn't. The propulsive Afro-funk sound Byrne and Eno created, especially on the "Fear of Music" and "Remain in Light" albums, needs to be played with a sense of abandon, and this band was up to the task, especially on songs like "Houses in Motion," "I Zimbra," "The Great Curve" and "Crosseyed and Painless." Songs from "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" were sweetly melodic and full of hopeful messages. "Tigers walk behind me, they are to remind me that I'm lost, but I'm not afraid," Byrne sang in "Life Is Long." "My Big Nurse" flirted with country music, and "Everything That Happens," a dreamy ballad, made for a graceful show-closer. But the new material, in general, seemed tame in comparison with the ferocious funk of the old stuff, including "Help Me Somebody," the show's lone "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" track. On that album, Byrne and Eno took previously existing vocals — taken from radio sermons and call-in shows, world-music recordings and other sources — and surrounded them with dark, mysterious music. The original "Help Me Somebody" featured the fervent pleas of an evangelist; Monday, Byrne barked out the words himself. The "Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno" tour also came to The Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City on Saturday, and the U.S. leg ends Nov. 13, in Miami. European dates are scheduled for March and April. But more U.S. dates are possible, especially since "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today," currently available only in digital form, will be released as a CD by the end of this month. Or, as Byrne, showing his usual flair for the offbeat, deadpanned on Monday, it finally will exist "in the physical world, where some of us live." |
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