David Byrne's American Utopia delivers "an experience unlike anything else" (Billboard) and marks a major cultural milestone in the worlds of music and theater. Innovative pop/rock icon David Byrne (Talking Heads, Here Lies Love) shares the spotlight with a diverse ensemble of 11 musical artists from around the globe.
Together with production consultant Alex Timbers and choreographer Annie-B Parson (his collaborators on Here Lies Love), Byrne and ensemble deliver "a marvel of staging and motion" (Chicago Tribune) that's as surprisingly poignant as it is supremely funky. Don't miss this "thought-provoking example of the power of live music" (Forbes).
American Utopia began as an album that David Byrne released on Nonesuch Records in March 2018. The recording was his first to reach number 1 on the Album Chart and was also his first to reach the Top Five on the Billboard 200 chart. The theatrical concert, which includes songs from American Utopia along with songs from Talking Heads and his solo career, played more than 150 dates in 27countries over nine months in 2018.
The 100-minute performance is a pretty stripped-down affair, and yet it is consistently eye- as well as ear-filling. Byrne and his 11 musician-cohorts, all dressed in identical, monochromatic gray, are the entirety of the stage furnishings, their bare feet signaling a serendipity and lack of pretense. (Rob Sinclair's gorgeous lighting design is a particular enhancing factor.) 'Us and you: That's what this show is,' Byrne declares at one point, explaining how he sought a production with as few artificial barriers as possible between the instrumentalists and the audience.
Continuing that theme, the musicians return for an encore of the Talking Heads' 1985 hit 'Road to Nowhere' - a fittingly paradoxical close to a stunning show from an artist whose much-vaunted quirkiness masks his intensely focused and disciplined creativity. While Byrne's more recent solo recordings may not always approach the brilliance of his earlier work - really, not many creators' work does - particularly in concert, he remains a vital, compelling and deeply relevant artist who, at 67, continues to challenge his audience and himself.
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