Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour

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Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour
Promotional tour by David Byrne
Tour poster featuring Byrne posing in front of a teal brick wall with stylized text reading "David Byrne on Tour / Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno".
Promotional poster for Byrne's tour
LocationNorth America (first leg)
Europe, Asia, and Oceania (second leg)
Europe (third leg)
United States (fourth leg)
Europe (fifth leg)
Associated albumEverything That Happens Will Happen Today
Start date2008-9-16
End date2009-8-9
LegsFive
No. of shows51 (first leg)
20 (second leg)
36 (third leg)
17 (fourth leg)
24 (fifth leg)
148 (total)
Websitewww.davidbyrne.com/tours/history.php
David Byrne concert chronology

The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour is a 2008–2009 promotional concert tour of music co-written by David Byrne and Brian Eno with performances by Byrne. In addition to being a retrospective of the duo's collaborations, the tour promoted the album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The musical performers were accompanied by dancers who were choreographed to several songs. Performances were held across the world and later documented on a tour EP and a concert film.

Material

Byrne assembled a band to tour for the album, performing music throughout the latter half of 2008 and early 2009 across North America, Europe, and Australasia. He hired more singers than he had on previous tours to reproduce the complex vocal harmonies of the album and was inspired to bring along dancers after seeing Sufjan Stevens promote the album Illinois as well as the Japanese films Funky Forest and The Taste of Tea. Byrne was initially uninvolved in the choreography, but made more suggestions as the tour went on and after he saw a live performance by Deerhoof that incorporated dancing with instruments. He began booking tour dates before the album was completed and continued writing his book The Bicycle Diaries throughout the tour.

In planning the set lists for the tour, Byrne initially considered only promoting this album, but decided to assemble songs this album as well as their previous collaborations, including the Talking Heads albums More Songs About Buildings and Food, Fear of Music, and Remain in Light and Byrne's The Catherine Wheel soundtrack. By playing music from all of their collaborations, Byrne hoped to "draw a line linking this new material with what we did 30 years ago" with the goal of clarifying the connection between all of the duo's previous work. In reviewing the music, he found that "[t]here might be more continuity than I imagined, which I hope is going to work in my favor." Although he was invited to participate and early reports indicated that would, Eno chose to not tour, letting Byrne decide how to present this music live.

A month after releasing the album, Byrne was skeptical of market saturation, claiming "I sense that a lot of people don't know we have a record out" and hoped to counterbalance that ignorance with this tour. At the same time, the main goal of the performance was not promotion but the show itself.

Set lists

The set list for the first night:

Set
  1. "Strange Overtones" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
  2. "I Zimbra" (Fear of Music)
  3. "One Fine Day" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
  4. "Help Me Somebody" (My Life in the Bush of Ghosts)
  5. "Houses in Motion" (Remain in Light)
  6. "My Big Nurse" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
  7. "My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)" (The Catherine Wheel)
  8. "Heaven" (Fear of Music)
  9. "Home" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
  10. "The River" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
  11. "Crosseyed and Painless" (Remain in Light)
  12. "Life Is Long" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
  13. "Once In a Lifetime" (Remain in Light)
  14. "Life During Wartime" (Fear of Music)
  15. "I Feel My Stuff" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
Encore
  2. "Take Me to the River" (More Songs About Buildings and Food)
  3. "The Great Curve" (Remain in Light)
Second encore
  2. "Everything That Happens" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)

By the time he reached St. Louis in mid-October, the following set was played:[1]

Set
  1. "Strange Overtones"
  2. "I Zimbra"
  3. "One Fine Day"
  4. "Help Me Somebody"
  5. "Houses in Motion"
  6. "My Big Nurse"
  7. "My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)"
  8. "Heaven]]"
  9. "Never Thought" (originally from the deluxe edition of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
  10. "The River"
  11. "Crosseyed and Painless"
  12. "Life Is Long"
  13. "Once In a Lifetime"
  14. "Life During Wartime"
  15. "I Feel My Stuff"
Encore
  2. "Take Me to the River"
  3. "The Great Curve"
Second encore
  2. "Air" (Fear of Music)
  3. "Burning Down the House" (Speaking in Tongues)
  4. "Everything That Happens"

Midway through this leg, Byrne expanded some shows to have three encores, such as Omaha, Indianapolis, Toronto, and Raleigh. The first was as listed above, the second was "Don't Worry About the Government" and "Burning Down the House", and the third was "Everything That Happens". He also played this extended encore at the Hong Kong and Sydney shows. Byrne expanded his February 28, 2009, show to contain four two-song encores.

Musicians and technical personnel

Performers

Performers from the Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour on the opening night—September 16, 2008—at the Zoellner Arts Center - Baker Hall in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. (Left to right):
Back: Refosco, Hawthorne, and De Gli Antoni
Middle: Kaïssa, R. Frazier, Muldaur and P. Frazier
Front: Reker, Byrne, Kuhn, and Baldwin

Byrne has assembled the following musicians and dancers to accompany him:

  • David Byrne – voice and guitar
  • Mark De Gli Antoni – keyboards
  • Paul Frazier – bass guitar
  • Graham Hawthorne – drums
  • Mauro Refosco – percussion
  • Redray Frazier – background vocals
  • Kaïssa – background vocals
  • Jenni Muldaur – background vocals
  • Lily Baldwin – dancing
  • Natalie Kuhn – dancing
  • Steven Reker – dancing

Refosco previously toured with Byrne's My Backwards Life band in support of Grown Backwards;[2] like bassist Paul Frazier he also appears on Look into the Eyeball, Grown Backwards, Live from Austin, Texas, and Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The performers started rehearsals the day that the album was released[3] and continued to rehearse more for this tour than is typical for other Byrne presentations.[4] All performers dress alike in cream-colored jumpsuits and overalls.[5] The dancers have choreographed for seven songs[6] and the entire ensemble performed together for the first time on September 9.[7]

Technical crew

  • Mark Edwards – production manager
  • Keith Anderson – tour manager
  • Bruce Knight – Front of House
  • Mike Lafferty – stage and keyboard technician
  • Victor Muñoz – guitar technician
  • Don FitzSimmonds – drum technician
  • Jeremy Bolton and Michael Conners – PA technicians
  • Bob Lewis – monitors
  • Jon Pollak – lighting designer/director
  • Martin Garnish – lighting
  • Abi Lester – wardrobe

The equipment was engineered by Clair Global and included gear from Lab.gruppen, TC Electronic, and Yamaha.[8]

Choreographers

  • Noémie Lafrance[9]
  • Annie-B Parson[10]
  • Sonya Robbins and Layla Childs aka Robbinschilds Dance[11]

Supporting acts

There were only a handful of dates that included other performers and no opening act was scheduled throughout the tour.[12] Ani DiFranco opened on June 2, 2009, and Byrne played a double bill with Marianne Faithfull opening on July 30, 2009. The Extra Action Marching Band guested on "Burning Down the House" and "Road to Nowhere" on the October 7, 2008, and June 23, 24, and 26, 2009, dates. DeVotchka opened on some 2009 dates.[13]

Tour dates

The tour was expected to run six months into spring 2009,[14] including dates in Australia and Europe[15] before finally concluding after 11 months with five legs worldwide:[16]

A closeup of Byrne playing guitar in a white suit and sunglasses
Byrne performed at Austin City Limits during the tour
Performers on the tour in a semi-circle bowing and gesturing toward Byrne as he plays guitar
The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour sought to integrate pop musical performance with modern dance
Dancers striking a pose with their arms stretched to their sides
Byrne both performed music and danced with the performers
David Byrne looking down at the crowd and smiling while playing guitar
The white suits were a staple of the performances
Date City Country Venue
First leg – North America, fall 2008
16 September 2008 Bethlehem United States Zoellner Arts Center – Baker Hall
17 September 2008 Baltimore Lyric Opera House
18 September 2008 Newport News Ferguson Center for the Arts
20 September 2008 Atlanta Chastain Park Amphitheater
21 September 2008 Asheville Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
22 September 2008 Nashville Ryman Auditorium
23 September 2008 Memphis Orpheum Theatre
25 September 2008 Austin The Paramount Theatre
26 September 2008 Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park
28 September 2008 Albuquerque Kiva Auditorium
30 September 2008 Phoenix Orpheum Theatre
2 October 2008 San Diego Humphreys
3 October 2008 Los Angeles Greek Theatre
4 October 2008 Santa Barbara Arlington Theater
6 October 2008 San Francisco Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall
7 October 2008
8 October 2008 Santa Rosa Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
9 October 2008 Saratoga Mountain Winery†
11 October 2008 Park City Eccles Center for the Performing Arts
12 October 2008 Denver Buell Theater
14 October 2008 Minneapolis State Theatre
15 October 2008 Milwaukee Pabst Theater
17 October 2008 Omaha Kiewit Concert Hall
18 October 2008 St. Louis Fox Theatre
19 October 2008 Kansas City Uptown Theater
21 October 2008 Louisville The Louisville Palace
23 October 2008 Cleveland Allen Theatre
24 October 2008 Ann Arbor Michigan Theater
25 October 2008 Indianapolis Clowes Memorial Hall
26 October 2008 Chicago Civic Opera House
29 October 2008 Toronto Canada Massey Hall
30 October 2008 Montreal Métropolis
31 October 2008 Boston United States Citi Performing Arts Center
1 November 2008 Atlantic City The Borgata
3 November 2008 Red Bank Count Basie Theatre
5 November 2008 Albany Empire State Plaza
7 November 2008 Pittsburgh Carnegie Music Hall
8 November 2008 Upper Darby Township Tower Theater
9 November 2008 Washington, D.C. Warner Theatre
28 November 2008 Buffalo UB Center for the Arts
29 November 2008 Syracuse Landmark Theatre
30 November 2008 New Bedford Zeiterion Theatre
2 December 2008 Northampton Calvin Theatre
3 December 2008 Wilmington Grand Opera House
4 December 2008 York Strand–Capitol Performing Arts
5 December 2008 Ledyard Foxwoods Resort Casino
7 December 2008 Knoxville Tennessee Theatre
8 December 2008 Raleigh Meymandi Concert Hall
9 December 2008 North Charleston North Charleston Performing Arts Center
10 December 2008 Charlotte Ovens Auditorium
12 December 2008 Tampa Tampa Theatre
13 December 2008 Miami Beach Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater
Second leg – Winter 2009
19 January 2009 Hong Kong China Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
21 January 2009 Singapore Singapore Suntec City Concert Hall
23 January 2009 Osaka Japan Osaka Hatch
27 January 2009 Tokyo Shibuya-AX
28 January 2009
1 February 2009 Sydney Australia Sydney Opera House
2 February 2009
4 February 2009 South Perth Perth Zoo
7 February 2009 Brisbane Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
9 February 2009 Melbourne Hamer Hall
10 February 2009
13 February 2009 Wellington New Zealand Michael Fowler Centre
14 February 2009 Auckland ASB Theatre
18 February 2009 Seattle United States Benaroya Hall
19 February 2009 Spokane Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox
20 February 2009 Vancouver Canada Queen Elizabeth Theatre
22 February 2009 Edmonton Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
23 February 2009 Calgary Jack Singer Concert Hall
27 February 2009 New York City United States Radio City Music Hall
28 February 2009
Third leg – Europe, spring 2009
9 March 2009 Düsseldorf Germany Tonhalle Düsseldorf
10 March 2009 Antwerp Belgium Koningin Elisabethzaal
12 March 2009 Hamburg Germany Congress Centrum
14 March 2009 Frankfurt Alte Oper
16 March 2009 Copenhagen Denmark Falkoner Theatre
17 March 2009 Stockholm Sweden Cirkus
19 March 2009 Oslo Norway Sentrum
20 March 2009 Malmö Concert House
22 March 2009 Hanover Germany Theater am Aegi
23 March 2009 Berlin Tempodrom
24 March 2009 Utrecht Netherlands MC Vredenburg
25 March 2009 Paris France Olympia
27 March 2009 Bristol United Kingdom Colston Hall
29 March 2009 Birmingham Symphony Hall
30 March 2009 Manchester Bridgewater Hall
31 March 2009 Glasgow Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
1 April 2009 Gateshead The Sage Gateshead
3 April 2009 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
4 April 2009 Sheffield City Hall
6 April 2009 Dublin Ireland National Concert Hall
7 April 2009 Belfast United Kingdom Waterfront Hall
9 April 2009 Oxford New Theatre Oxford
11 April 2009 Nottingham Royal Centre
12 April 2009 London Royal Festival Hall
13 April 2009
14 April 2009 Brighton Brighton Dome
16 April 2009 Stuttgart Germany Hegelsaal
17 April 2009 Zürich Switzerland Volkshaus
19 April 2009 Senigallia Italy La Fenice
20 April 2009 Verona Teatro Filarmonico
21 April 2009 Milan Teatro Dal Verme
22 April 2009 Modena Teatro Comunale Modena
24 April 2009 Barcelona Spain Palau de la Música Catalana
26 April 2009 Oviedo Auditorio Príncipe Felipe
27 April 2009 Madrid Lope de Vega Theatre
28 April 2009 Lisbon Portugal Coliseo
Fourth leg – North America, summer 2009
1 June 2009 Shelburne United States The Green at Shelburne Museum
2 June 2009 Hopewell Constellation Brands – Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
3 June 2009 Montclair Wellmont Theatre
5 June 2009 Philadelphia Mann Center for the Performing Arts
6 June 2009 Vienna Filene Center
8 June 2009 New York City Prospect Park Bandshell
10 June 2009 Charlottesville Charlottesville Pavilion
12 June 2009 Manchester Bonnaroo Music Festival
14 June 2009 Dallas Majestic Theatre
15 June 2009 Houston Jones Hall
17 June 2009 Santa Fe Lensic Theater
18 June 2009 Telluride Telluride Bluegrass Festival
20 June 2009 Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre
21 June 2009 Salt Lake City Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
23 June 2009 Portland Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
24 June 2009 Seattle Paramount Theatre
26 June 2009 Berkeley Hearst Greek Theatre
Fifth leg – Europe, summer 2009
6 July 2009 Athens Greece Badminton Theatre
7 July 2009 Skopje Macedonia Universal Hall
8 July 2009 Belgrade Serbia Sava Centar
10 July 2009 Ljubljana Slovenia Križanke
11 July 2009 Vienna Austria Open Air Arena
12 July 2009 Ostrava Czech Republic Colours Festival
13 July 2009 Warsaw Poland Stodola
15 July 2009 Budapest Hungary Millenáris Sporttelep
16 July 2009 Graz Austria Kasematten
17 July 2009- Grado Italy Diga Nazario Sauro
18 July 2009 Fiesole Festival Teatro Romano
20 July 2009 Rome Parco della Musica
22 July 2009 Ferrara Piazza Castello
23 July 2009 Naples Castel Sant'Elmo
24 July 2009 Locorotondo Locus Festival, Cantina Sociale
27 July 2009 Cagliari Anfiteatro Romano
29 July 2009 Turin Real Festival, Palace of Venaria
30 July 2009 Lyon France Grand Théâtre Romain de Fourvière
1 August 2009 Lokeren Belgium Lokerse Feesten
2 August 2009 Amsterdam Netherlands Melkweg
3 August 2009 London United Kingdom Barbican Centre
4 August 2009 Southampton Southampton Guildhall
8 August 2009 Edinburgh Edinburgh Playhouse
9 August 2009 Ledbury The Big Chill

†Date scheduled and later canceled

Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour

Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno
A blurry black-and-white photo of a middle-aged Caucasian man in white overalls swinging his arms with a guitar slung over his shoulder. He is standing behind a microphone stand and in front of a man with a drum kit. In the upper left corner is written "EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS / WILL HAPPEN ON THIS TOUR /DAVID BYRNE ON TOUR / SONGS OF DAVID BYRNE AND BRIAN ENO" in a stylized white font.
EP (live) by
David Byrne
ReleasedMay 11, 2009 (2009-05-11)
RecordedDecember 4, 2008, Strand–Capitol Performing Arts Center, York, Pennsylvania, United States
GenreAlternative rock, world
Length19:28
LanguageEnglish
LabelTodo Mundo
ProducerDavid Byrne
David Byrne chronology
Big Love: Hymnal
(2008) 		Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno
(2009) 		Here Lies Love
(2010)
David Byrne live chronology
Live from Austin, Texas
(2007) 		Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno
(2009) 		Live at Carnegie Hall
(2012)

Everything That Happens Will Happen on This Tour – David Byrne on Tour: Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno is a 2009 live EP released by David Byrne recorded during the Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour. The album is composed of live recordings of three songs from the 2009 Byrne/Eno collaboration Everything That Happens Will Happen Today and one—"Help Me Somebody"—from their 1981 album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.

Recording and release

Byrne was approached by Amnesty International to get involved in his tour. For years, Byrne had performed one date on his tours as a benefit and decided to record this EP with proceeds from sales benefiting the organization.[17]

Byrne's band performed with an audio system that could professionally record every show based around Pro Tools. Byrne had these recordings mixed by Patrick Dillett—who was also responsible for engineering on Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.[18]

The album was made available digitally in the form of DRM-free 320 kbit/s MP3s with the option of a FLAC as well. Like Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, the EP was marketed with Internet startup Topspin Media.

The album received a positive review from The Village Voice, calling it "cheerful" and "lovely."[19]

Track listing

All songs written by David Byrne and Brian Eno; "Strange Overtones" co-written by Leo Abrahams.

  1. "Strange Overtones" – 4:37
  2. "Help Me Somebody" – 3:28
  3. "One Fine Day" – 4:34
  4. "I Feel My Stuff" – 6:29

Personnel

  • David Byrne – vocals and guitar
  • Mark De Gli Antoni – keyboards
  • Paul Frazier – bass guitar
  • Redray Frazier – background vocals
  • Graham Hawthorne – drums
  • Kaïssa – background vocals
  • Jenni Muldaur – background vocals
  • Mauro Refosco – percussion

Ride, Rise, Roar

Main article: Ride, Rise, Roar

On February 11, 2010, it was announced that a documentary film entitled Ride, Rise, Roar chronicling the tour would be released to the 2010 film festival circuit.[20] The debut with be at South by Southwest on March 15, 2010,[21] where it will be screened in all three media categories—film, interactive, and music.[22] The film was the feature-length directorial debut by Hillman Curtis[23]—who also worked on the short film that accompanies the deluxe edition of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.[24] The film includes concert footage, footage of the planning and rehearsals for the tour, and exclusive interviews with Byrne, Eno, and the supporting musicians and dancers.[25] Curtis was initially contacted to document the tour with no clear objective for the film and decided to focus on the collaboration between Byrne and his tour mates as well as the unique challenge of combining popular music with modern dance.[26]

Stalking incident

While on tour, dancer Lily Baldwin started receiving letters from a stalker following the show in Europe. She turned her experience into the 2017 film Glass and began a website offering resources for those who are being stalked.[27]

See also

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