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 | |
| Location | North America (first leg) Europe, Asia, and Oceania (second leg) Europe (third leg) United States (fourth leg) Europe (fifth leg) |
|---|---|
| Associated album | Everything That Happens Will Happen Today |
| Start date | 2008-9-16 |
| End date | 2009-8-9 |
| Legs | Five |
| No. of shows | 51 (first leg) 20 (second leg) 36 (third leg) 17 (fourth leg) 24 (fifth leg) 148 (total) |
| Website | www |
| 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
- "Strange Overtones" (originally from Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- "I Zimbra" (Fear of Music)
- "One Fine Day" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- "Help Me Somebody" (My Life in the Bush of Ghosts)
- "Houses in Motion" (Remain in Light)
- "My Big Nurse" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- "My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)" (The Catherine Wheel)
- "Heaven" (Fear of Music)
- "Home" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- "The River" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- "Crosseyed and Painless" (Remain in Light)
- "Life Is Long" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- "Once In a Lifetime" (Remain in Light)
- "Life During Wartime" (Fear of Music)
- "I Feel My Stuff" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- Encore
- "Take Me to the River" (More Songs About Buildings and Food)
- "The Great Curve" (Remain in Light)
- Second encore
- "Everything That Happens" (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
By the time he reached St. Louis in mid-October, the following set was played:
- Set
- "Strange Overtones"
- "I Zimbra"
- "One Fine Day"
- "Help Me Somebody"
- "Houses in Motion"
- "My Big Nurse"
- "My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)"
- "Heaven]]"
- "Never Thought" (originally from the deluxe edition of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today)
- "The River"
- "Crosseyed and Painless"
- "Life Is Long"
- "Once In a Lifetime"
- "Life During Wartime"
- "I Feel My Stuff"
- Encore
- "Take Me to the River"
- "The Great Curve"
- Second encore
- "Air" (Fear of Music)
- "Burning Down the House" (Speaking in Tongues)
- "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
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; 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 and continued to rehearse more for this tour than is typical for other Byrne presentations. All performers dress alike in cream-colored jumpsuits and overalls. The dancers have choreographed for seven songs and the entire ensemble performed together for the first time on September 9.
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.
Choreographers
- Noémie Lafrance
- Annie-B Parson
- Sonya Robbins and Layla Childs aka Robbinschilds Dance
Supporting acts
There were only a handful of dates that included other performers and no opening act was scheduled throughout the tour. 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.
Tour dates
The tour was expected to run six months into spring 2009, including dates in Australia and Europe before finally concluding after 11 months with five legs worldwide:
| 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 | |
| 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 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.
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.
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."
Track listing
All songs written by David Byrne and Brian Eno; "Strange Overtones" co-written by Leo Abrahams.
- "Strange Overtones" – 4:37
- "Help Me Somebody" – 3:28
- "One Fine Day" – 4:34
- "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
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. The debut with be at South by Southwest on March 15, 2010, where it will be screened in all three media categories—film, interactive, and music. The film was the feature-length directorial debut by Hillman Curtis—who also worked on the short film that accompanies the deluxe edition of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. 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. 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.
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.