NYTimes Pans David Byrne Concert At Radio City

Ahhh, more things interesting, I see. In the words of Yoda and Apple: Thinking different we should be. So:

1) Is the Times a reputable source and if so, how bad is the “pan? And –>

2) So here’s my theory on why Byrne is so youthful, and why his concert felt as contemporary and relevant as any Bowery Ballroom set by the latest blogosphere buzz band: the guy keeps up. He doesn’t sit around all day reminiscing with his fellow dessicated rock stars. He reads, he thinks, he sees art and film and music. And his creative portfolio is radically diversified. He paints, draws, blogs, directs, runs a record label, composes for film, composes for dance, designs funky bike racks, and god knows what else…

Neil Young, whom I caught at Madison Square Garden a few weeks back, is similar: he’s constantly making bizarre movies, and he’s invested an enormous amount of time and energy into his Linc-Volt project, whose goal is to turn an old Lincoln Continental into an electric hybrid that gets 100 to the gallon. Not every new album he makes is good, and not every new song he plays is the next “Powderfinger,” but he’s worth keeping up with because he never checks out. On life, that is. He checked out of the L.A. rock scene decades ago, returning only for the occasional gigantic C.S.N.Y. paycheck, and the move may have added 30 years to his career.

Byrne doesn’t live on a ranch, and he probably has a lot less money than Neil Young and has a way of doing his own thing. If you see enough live music, you’re bound to spot him in the audience: that shock of white hair is hard to miss. He’s always watching, absorbing, digesting what’s happening.

There’s a lesson for all of us here, but I don’t want to talk about that just now. What I want to talk about is my favorite moment of last night’s concert. The second encore ended with “Burning Down the House,” a Talking Heads hit from 1983. For reasons I couldn’t fathom, Byrne was wearing a white tutu. So was everyone else on stage: the band, the trio of dancers who had been entertaining us all night. All adhered to the all-white dress code, and all wore tutus…

You all can do the rest of the math….

@DavidinMaine wrote:

Not every new album he makes is good, and not every new song he plays is the next “Powderfinger,” but he’s worth keeping up with because he never checks out. On life, that is…There’s a lesson for all of us here, but I don’t want to talk about that just now…

There is so much good music, good art, and good thinking out there including NY, DB, and LWs. It’s nice to see DB sell-out a world tour–including two nights at Radio City while LWs is mixing up her sets versus last year and M. Ward is doing some sweet one-offs. No cheerleading here, just enjoying the ride. There were many people wearing tutus on stage that night and here is where my post actually came from–Vanity Fair!!! You might want to check your math while taking up your “bullshit” and Pompom/Cheeleading accusations with the original author…Nice picture of some professionals doing what they do best and having fun, huh? (“There’s a lesson for all of us here, but I don’t want to about that just now”…see below)

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/culture/2009/02/28/david-byrne-wows-radio-city-music-hall.html

It was something no group of chart-topping 25-year-olds could pull off. There was a generosity, a confidence, and a mature sense not only of style but of place and history that made it work. Byrne was playing with the idea of Radio City Music Hall, but also paying tribute to it. After it was over, Byrne introduced his 30-something choreographer: Noémie Lafrance…

See what I mean? Tuned in. If it keeps David Byrne young, just think what it can do for you.

(db on the NYtimes author/article and a video of BDTH at RC here http://journal.davidbyrne.com/)