Talking Heads’ David Byrne mounts ambitious “American Utopia” concept in gripping weekend closer

Photos by Daniel DeSlover

Anytime David Byrne comes to town, he never has to worry about ticket sales, but when the envelope-pushing innovator announced his first tour behind an individual album in 14 years and largest scale production concept since Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” shows in 1983, demand for all three of his Auditorium Theatre dates shot through the roof. As far as the finale of his ambitious “American Utopia” weekend was concerned, it ranked right up there with one of David Bowie or Peter Gabriel’s grandest experiments that will likely go down as a career pinnacle for the mesmerizing performer.

By far the most unexpected and ultimately sobering moment came during a finale cover of R&B singer/songwriter Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout,” which was a plea against police brutality and demand for justice done David Byrne style.

In all fairness though, Byrne is comparable to no one and he got right down to proving it with the cerebral opener “Here,” holding and staring at a replica of the human brain as he pointed out all its marvelous capabilities. Yet such concentration and pondering quickly turned into a celebration when a band of 11 roving, barefoot musicians stomped around in choreographed formations, adding rich, rhythmic flavors to his own “Lazy” (the opposite of its title), Talking Heads’ “I Zimbra” and “Slippery People,” plus “I Should Watch TV” (originally a collaboration with indie oddball St. Vincent).

The entire audience was practically transported to Byrne’s quirky and colorful backyard by the new “Everybody’s Coming To My House,” while his previous band’s “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” and “Once In A Lifetime,” garnished with ingenious spotlight projections and transfixing shadow dancing, were surely the closet anyone will ever get to an authentic Talking Heads experience these days. However, nostalgia wasn’t the purpose of the headliner’s visit and he spent the most time unpacking “American Utopia” with the verve and hunger of an artist a fraction of his 66 years, alongside the wonder of what an alternative, improved edition of the country could look like in its most unadulterated form.

And considering the current collections sounds, well, a lot like Talking Heads for lack of a long-winded description, even those who merely showed up for “Burning Down The House” never lost interest. As for the truly dedicated (and they may be the majority at this point), Byrne offered rewards such as the carefree “Toe Jam” from his electronic pursuits with Brighton Port Authority, plus an alien’s perception of humanity throughout the solo single “Like Humans Do.”

By far the most unexpected and ultimately sobering moment came during a finale cover of R&B singer/songwriter Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout,” which was a plea against police brutality and demand for justice done David Byrne style. But as far as his material was concerned, the prior encore featuring the tribal-beat throw down “Dancing Together” (paired with the DJ Fatboy Slim on record) offered the flipside to those emotions with an elevated sense of unity, while Talking Heads’ triumphant “The Great Curve” simply burned down the house on a historical return-to-form for a man whose music from any decade will never have an expiration date.

For additional information on David Byrne, visit DavidByrne.com.

For a list of upcoming shows at the Auditorium Theatre, visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.