A contender for gig of the year comes around and you know you have witnessed something truly spectacular. The hype across the city, the conversations on social media, the excitement building and we got to see this spectacle on opening night.
David Byrne was in town, and boy did we know about it. The press had shown him visiting some of our city’s famous landmarks, and Byrne himself even incorporated this into his impressive archive of images displayed during the set. The buzz amongst the audience was electric, something I had not really seen so much prior to a gig, Tonight there was no support, Just Byrne and his talented troupe of dancers and musicians on stage.
A short public address went out prior to the start asking audiences members to live in the moment and refrain from recording the show and minimise camera usage. This was adhered to and I was transported back to a time when phones were simply to make calls.
As soon as Byrne came on stage in a blue spacesuit with a small number of his band, I saw something magical happen. The majority of the crowd by the opening notes of the song were on their feet, dancing in the aisles. No fucks were given this evening as people just threw their arms in the air and danced carelessly, it was a magnificent sight.
The set list was exceptional, and the screen behind Byrne became part of the performance, the imagery utterly sublime, showing Manhattan, and at one point Manchester’s famous red letter box, along with many other settings and motivational messages. Byrne halted play to explain to the audience that ‘The post still got delivered that day’. It was surreal, sort of David Lynch-esque if Lynch had done a musical, but also without a doubt the first gig I have been that felt like a full on art installation.
The evening will stay with me for a while and I have seen the phrase ‘gig of the year’ bandied about on social media. Byrne is in remarkable form, voice and movement faultless, and tonight he does it all over again down at the Apollo. If you are going you are in for a treat.
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