David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno

I saw David Byrne at Benaroya Hall last night. It was the best concert I have ever been to and one of the most exciting and enjoyable experiences of my life. Let me supplement this by saying that David Byrne is my hero and the Talking Heads, my favorite band EVER. The whole experience was made even sweeter by the circumstances that made it possible for me to attend. I won't get into it here, but let's just say that someone was very kind to me and I ended up with the best seat in the house and backstage passes to boot. The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno tour is headed to Canada and Europe, but if they ever do end up coming to your town, do whatever is necessary to get tickets. I would like to describe what I experienced last night, but words really don't cut it. I went there expecting mostly new material and hoping for a few choice morsels of Talking Heads magic. They played almost every single one of my favorite songs, and the new material was just as exciting to see and hear. I danced my ass off. Dancing to David Byrne's music is one of my favorite things. Dancing to David Byrne's music, live, while simultaneously taking in everything that is going on onstage (four additional singers, drums, percussion, keys, bass, three dancers and of course Mr. Byrne himself, all of them dressed in white from head to toe) is like being asked what my ideal concert would be and having it handed to me on a plate. There were three encores, and when the group came on for the second, they were all wearing white tutus of varying lengths and shapes.

The photos below were taken from Mr. Byrne's website. They are not photos from the show I saw last night, but they are from the same tour. The show is very specifically choreographed, so I'm sure it stays relatively consistent throughout the tour and that these picture will give you an idea of what things looked like. Afterwards I went backstage and shook his hand, thanking him vehemently. I think I may have overwhelmed him a bit. But there I was, shaking David Byrne's hand after he had just given us two hours of pure gold.