David Byrne brought a message of unconditional love and kindness to Starlight

David Byrne. // photo by Kili Goodrich

David Byrne
Starlight Theater
Tuesday, May 5

Brought to Kansas City for a promotional tour of his new album Who Is the Sky?, David Byrne played Starlight Theatre on Tuesday, May 5, to perform newer releases from his ninth solo album, as well as hits from Talking Heads, for which he was the lead vocalist.

Following the grand success of his 2018 tour American Utopia, Byrne manages to catch lightning in a bottle a second time, with an equally energetic and stylized performance–another collaboration with choreographer Steven Hogget. With obvious inspiration from the pandemic, Who Is the Sky? is a love letter to the perseverance of human connection and the beauty of individuality.

Byrne’s quirky alternative album was reflected in the crowd peering back at him Tuesday, a true melting pot of backgrounds and personalities. While some danced in the aisles, some stayed calmly in their seats, all experiencing the evening the way the musical genius would have envisioned–uniquely.

David Byrne. // photo by Kili Goodrich

Byrne and his ensemble of 12 vibrant classical musicians took the floor, adorned in blue, instruments strapped to their bodies, operating as units of storytelling and harmony. Behind them, a large half-circle screen projected the vast emptiness of space. The crew’s movements shifted seamlessly throughout the set from robotic to organic, modeling the shift between the different eras of Byrne’s career, and the natural movement of the body.

Byrne’s newfound emphasis on humanity was especially loud during the lead single from the album, “Everybody Laughs,” an acoustic lyrical piece carried by his powerful vocals, accompanied with a video montage of everyday life. Similarly, Byrne shared a piece of his own life during the raw autobiographical song inspired by the pandemic, “My Apartment Is My Friend” where the semi-circle screen backdrop portrayed an image of his real life New York apartment–an unsurprisingly eclectic space.

“Love and kindness are a form of resistance,” Byrne confidently remarked to a passionate crowd after playing his newer release, “T Shirt,” an invigorating tune about how we communicate with others through the clothes we wear, an opportunity for Byrne to show off the t-shirt graphic, “Make America Gay Again” projected behind his ensemble.

During a break in the set, Byrne monologued about a girl he used to know in high school who was extraordinarily happy, wondering, “Maybe she knows something I don’t know yet, and maybe I can find it out.” Byrne ended his candid story with the conclusion that the girl was, in fact, taking LSD, but despite the humorous end to the tale, the rest of the show implies that perhaps he is the one who knew something all along.

David Byrne. // photo by Kili Goodrich

Byrne started to close off the show with all-time hits from Talking Heads, most notably “Psycho Killer” and “Once In a Lifetime,” with intros so iconic that the audience was riled up before the lyrics even began. The concert officially ended with an encore consisting of the ballad “Burning Down the House,” mixing art pop funk with a bit of nostalgia–it was a beautiful end to the evening.

Editor’s note: Due to weather conditions, professional photography was canceled for the evening. All photos are by Kili Goodrich from the 4/21 date in Phoenix and provided by David Byrne’s publicist.

David Byrne setlist
Heaven (Talking Heads cover)
Everybody Laughs
And She Was (Talking Heads cover)
Strange Overtones
Houses in Motion (Talking Heads cover)
T Shirt
Nothing but (Flowers) (Talking Heads cover)
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody) (Talking Heads cover)
What Is The Reason For It?
Like Humans Do
When We Are Singing
Independence Day
Slippery People (Talking Heads cover)
I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party
My Apartment Is My Friend
Air (Talking Heads cover)
Psycho Killer (Talking Heads cover)
Life During Wartime (Talking Heads cover)
Once In a Lifetime (Talking Heads cover)
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Everybody’s Coming to My House
Burning Down the House (Talking Heads cover)