On June 8th, David Byrne brought his retinue of dancers and musicians to Prospect Park for a stop on his Songs of David Byrne & Brian Eno Tour. Byrne emerged onstage completely dressed in white, and casually remarked, "Hi. My name is Dave. I'll be your waiter this evening." That was pretty much all of the witty banter that could be heard for the remainder of the night, a disrespectful crowd and sound problems muddling a good portion of the show. Still quite enjoyable though, even without a large knowledge of Byrne's work. The choreography made it almost seem like a Broadway production. Although seated for "Life is Long," Byrne and the band made sure to use swivel chairs to be able to spin to the song. Oddly enough, my favorite song of the night may have been the first, "Strange Overtones," from his newest album with Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. "Once in a Lifetime" was pretty amazing, but some sound issues kept it from perfection. Three encores! "Burning Down the House," not an Eno song, but a fan favorite, featured the entire band in tutus. I'm not a huge fan of the song, but it was a great performance. Check it out if you please.
DAVID BYRNE – 06.08.09 – PROSPECT PARK BANDSHELL
SET –
Strange Overtones / I Zimbra / One Fine Day / Help Me Somebody / Houses in Motion / My Big Nurse / My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks) / Heaven / Moonlight in Glory / Life is Long / Crosseyed & Painless / Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) / Once in a Lifetime / Life During Wartime / I Feel My Stuff
ENCORE I –
Take Me to the River / The Great Curve
ENCORE II –
Air / Burning Down the House
ENCORE III –
Everything That Happens
After the show, I met up with my old roommate and his friends. As we walked up 5th Ave, a group of people were congregated on the sidewalk at a hangout near Aunt Suzie's. "Amazing performance, man," I heard someone say, amongst similar compliments. David Byrne was standing there, graciously accepting the praise.
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