DAVID BYRNE CONFIRMS ONLY NEW ZEALAND CONCERT
As one of the most daringly creative and accomplished artists in the history of modern music, David Byrne has little to prove to the world. He is the founder, singer/guitarist and creative force behind one of the most critically acclaimed bands of all time: Talking Heads which Stetson had the honour of presenting 25 years ago. He has won an Oscar (Last Emperor); appeared on the cover of Time magazine who dubbed him "rock's renaissance man" and has won numerous and prestigious awards for his writing, photography and art.
The recent release of the definitive Talking Heads box set, Once In A Lifetime, has inspired Byrne for the first time since dissolving The Talking Heads, to revisit some of his amazing back catalogue in a live setting with a combination of classics such as Psycho Killer, Road To Nowhere, And She Was, I Zimbra, Once In A Lifetime, Nothing But Flowers, Heaven and Burning Down The House sitting seamlessly with material from his amazing new album, Grown Backwards.
By all accounts Byrne's current tour finds him in the greatest form of his career. Consider just a sprinkling of reviews from the last few months:
The Vancouver Sun fell in love with his "mesmerizing set.... not only did Byrne perform all of the material with remarkable skill and presence; he made it seem perfectly natural that the classic songs from the '70s and '80s were mingling comfortably with opera, Latin music, afrobeat and dance music....[after the song Heaven] the glowingly satisfied audience members were more than happy to, for now, be right here on earth, listening to a pop legend whose work remains amazingly varied, unique and vital. "
St. Louis Today raved that "Byrne's quirky showmanship and relentless rhythms made for a near-flawless two-hour show" which "mixed magic and musicianship to create a consistent night of avant-garde pop". Talking Heads classics such as the Once In A Lifetime and Road To Nowhere reportedly had the crowd falling into a "state of rapture" and a "hand-clappin', foot-stompin' frenzy" respectively, and more recent solo material was "intoxicating".
TBO.com told how " the theatre became a dance floor with most in the crowd out of their seats".
The Daily Californian described Byrne as "not just the suavest, but also coolest and most self-assured human alive". (Californians know a thing or two about cool, obviously.)
The Chicago Tribune told how Byrne was greeted by a two-minute standing ovation before launching into "a joyous two-hour-long set that explored the concepts of permanence and psychological nirvana in an increasingly shallow society".
And The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "The show ended with Byrne graciously accepting another (was it his fourth or fifth?) long, loud ovation. The audience, sweaty and spent but smiling and chatty, slowly left the hall knowing they'd just been a part of a great and rare concert experience."
