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Singer Byrne gives Is David Byrne weird? Some folks say so, and if the word is used to mean "magical" or "unusual" then it is in fact an apt description.
fans enchanting evening
His concert blends personal
vignettes with powerful musicBy John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.comStarting a concert on time is certainly unusual these days, and Byrne's concert Friday night at World Cafe was a magical celebration of the power of imagination in modern music. It was certainly the first time that a live string quartet has been part of a concert there.
Byrne and his core trio took the stage without hype or announcement precisely at 8 and entertained non-stop for two fascinating hours. He presided with none of the inane "how ya doin'" concert banter less substantive acts often fall back on. Instead he explained a bit of the history behind some of the selections and told stories about the artists associated with them. And, on top of delivering a great show musically, Byrne also seemed absolutely delighted to be performing and thrilled by the crowd's response.
What a welcome contrast from self-important acts who come to town with "we're doing you pathetic dweebs a favor by letting you pay to see us" attitudes.
Byrne accompanied himself on guitar for most of the night. He got excellent support from his trio -- David Hilliard (drums), Paul Frazier (bass) and charismatic percussionist Mauro Refosco. The core group's synthesis of European-American rock and Latino-American rhythms was both powerful and invigorating in its own right. The quartet delivered a tight 30-minute set on its own and was then joined by the string section. The contrast between the rock/Latin fusion of the quartet and the additional organic textures of the live strings, and the seemingly natural blending of the two, made the show thoroughly entertaining but also thought-provoking.
Byrne's effective reworking of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" was a magic moment in showing how a world-class artist can personalize and reinvent a pop chart classic. All of Hawaii's Jawaiian, pop, and "island music" artists and record producers shoulda been there for that!
And, although he's been a solo artist for more years than he was a singer/guitarist with Talking Heads, Byrne included "Life During Wartime (This Ain't No Party ... This Ain't No Disco ... This Ain't No Foolin' Around)" and "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)" for the old-time fans in the house.
Byrne displayed low-key wit as well.
"We're still waiting for those corporate sponsorships," he explained, apparently in reference to his bright orange shirt, boldly emblazoned with the word "HOOTERS" (brown slacks and black-and-white saddle shoes completed his ensemble). Bassist Frasier and the men in the string section were wearing sharp dark shirts with the logo of Byrne's Luaka Bop record label; surprisingly enough, there was no concession table set up to sell logo attire or copies of Byrne's recent albums. (An afternoon stop at one of Hawaii's major local record store chains found only Byrne's first solo album in stock.)
If talent, personality, and innovation equated to corporate support, Byrne would have all the sponsorships he wanted. It was a remarkable show.
The string section left with the others after the second encore, and for a minute or two it seemed like that might be it. But no, Byrne, Hilliard, Frasier, and Refosco, came back to close the 2-hour set with "Moment Of Conception" before calling it a night on stage.
That wasn't quite the end of the evening though. Byrne had accepted a lei near the end of the show, the deep purple flowers providing a striking pop-art contrast to the bright orange Hooters shirt. He reciprocated the fans' aloha by going out into the crowd after the show and signing autographs and posing for fan photos for almost 30 minutes.
David Byrne weird? I don't think so!