David Byrne in Portland, 23-June-2009

David Byrne and band (& a marching band!) came to Portland tonight…  and put on a real Show!  Basically a career highlights retrospective, he mixed recent Byrne/Eno material with well-known songs from the Talking Heads days and afterwards.  He had with him three singers, three dancers, bass, drums, percussion, keyboards.  A big, wide open stage, with everyone in back except for David in front and center.  On most songs dancers would be out with David and the other singers – most fun when one guy hopped right over David mid-song.  Each song had its own feel with the lighting and stage arrangements.  As best I can remember, songs included:

• ‘Strange Overtones’ & about three others from the latest Byrne/Eno album
• ‘I Zimbra’
• ‘Air’
• ‘My Big Hands’
• ‘Houses in Motion’ – this one got a huge ovation
• ‘Heaven’
• ‘Crosseyed and Painless’
• ‘Help Me Somebody’
• ‘Heaven’
• ‘Born Under Punches’
• ‘Life During Wartime’

encore:

• ‘Take Me To The River’
• ‘Once in a Lifetime’ – another huge response

then out came a sexy San Francisco marching band through the audience and onstage to join for:

• ‘Road to Nowhere’
• ‘Burning Down the House’

That’s Entertainment!