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Blogs / A Walk In The Park / October 2008 / Byrning Down The House

Byrning Down The House

When you were in high school or college and you heard those Talking Heads lyrics,"You may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile, And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife, And you may ask yourself - well … how did I get here?" you think it's quirky and funny. When suddenly you're in the resort town of Park City, Utah, surrounded by 40-, 50-, or even 60-something men up on their feet clapping, dancing and yelling the lyrics in unison with knowing smiles, it's even funnier.

Such was the case last week when David Byrne, the wide-eyed, stick-tall, master creative genius and founder of Talking Heads came to town. The Eccles Center, one of the crown jewels of our community (a state-of-the- art theater in our own high school) was sold out. Full. From the balcony to the handicapped seats. That means about 1,200 fans flocked to take in Byrne's magic.

The excitement upon entering the theater was palpable. It was one of those Park City locals events so charged with good hippie energy, you could feel it the minute you walked into the room. Maybe it was because we'd all woken to the first snow of the season that morning. The crisp chill in the air and the promise of powder days to come invigorated everyone. Then Byrne took the stage. He's still of impressive height and skinniness, though now, instead of the jet black hair he was famous for, he boasts a beautiful mane of silver, (still sticking straight up), making him sexier than ever, if you ask me. When Byrne walked onto the stage, with his crew of about eight, all dressed in white from head to toe, the audience was on its feet, giving a five-minute standing ovation before Byrne had even opened his mouth. He looked surprised, appreciative, and then really happy.

To be honest, it had been so long since I'd seen Byrne in concert (in a gymnasium in Burlington,Vermont in 1984; as a guest performer with The Tom Tom Club at the old Park West summer concerts) that I was a bit apprehensive. He's into so many funky creative things. I wondered if the show might end up being all "performance art," which might lose the attention of my concert-going buddy, whose birthday we were celebrating, whose last show at the Eccles Center, which I dragged him to, included Buddhist monks blowing on these serpentine pipes for two hours, and which we still giggle about incessantly every time we get together. (No offense to the monks, of course). Happily, Byrne and his crew played about half the material from his new album, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today," his first collaboration with songwriter Brian Eno in about 30 years. We hung on every note. The other half he catered to the crowd with old time favorites from the Talking Heads days, like "Take Me To The River" and "Burning Down the House."

Byrne and the crew played for two hours, no break. During the second half of the show, the entire audience was on its feet. Byrne had three dancers performing with him, making his fascinating lyrics and alternative rhythms even more interesting with their tribal interpretations. They were phenomenal - even proving that dancing in rolling office chairs can be a mesmerizing art.

After the last encore, as the crowd began filtering out, appreciative Parkites kept calling out, "Thank you, David!"

Thank you, Park City. There's nothing like Park City hospitality.

What I left out:
The fact that the Eccles Center is so hurting for sponsorships in these tough economic times, that they've had to drop one of their programs, the Pillow Theater. If you're a second-homeowner here, or a full-time local with some cash to spare and want to do something great for our community's enrichment, contact the Park City Performing Arts Foundation at 435.655.8252.

Word of the week:
Guayabera: a usually short-sleeved lightweight sport shirt designed to be worn untucked.
- Merriam Webster
Of course this is David Byrne's signature shirt style, but I'd never heard the term. Thanks to my friend L.S. for pointing out my ignorance, yet again.