David Byrne / St. Vincent - Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 10/13/12

9.1

My first impression of the peculiar and intriguing collaboration between David Byrne and St. Vincent was very understated. Love This Giant sounded exactly like a collaboration of this caliber should sound but offered no real surprises. I sat on it for weeks, only revisiting it on the night their live show invaded Los Angeles' Greek Theatre. Driving to venue, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I had missed on the first two go-arounds. The live rendition of the album amplifies the multi-layered orchestration that was initially glanced over. Their live show amplifies the esoteric frenzy of the studio set, with some sweet surprises sprinkled on top.

The set list was an outstanding mix of the album and the duo's respective solo material. A lot of effort seemed to go into the selective choices of solo work, which fit right along side the album's tracks. This did not please the majority of the middle-aged audience expecting for a Talking Heads marathon. Thus the crowd's energy was sorely lacking, especially after realizing a lot of the night belonged to indie darling Annie Clark. Under the monicker St. Vincent, she performed choice cuts from her past two albums with vigor and concentration. When she wasn't noodling an electric guitar, she was matching Byrne's signature weird energy with slinky duck walks and awkward robot dance moves. Needless to say, she is a perfect match for Byrne.

Continuing the David Byrne tradition of unexpected artistic choices, the stage set up was stark and empty. Instead of trying to match the dizzying light spectacles of every other 2012 show, the focus was on the choreography of the ensemble brass band. There's something to be said for good old-fashion showmanship and the band delivered in spades. The end result was simple, powerful and most importantly kept the focus on the music itself. Every member was in top form and good spirits, filling the amphitheater with joyous spirit.

Prior to the show, Byrne took to the PA to highlight the work that went into the show and urge everyone to enjoy it as it was happening instead of through a screen. The announcement foreshadowed a highly-danceable set, who only a sad few took advantage of. Besides the obvious crescendo of the Talking Heads encores, the night had many highlights. St. Vincent's "Northern Lights" built to a dizzying freak-out that found both performers dueling over a theremin. The original cut, "The One Who Broke Your Heart" harbored the contagious energy and unrequited joy that flowed over the entire set.

I feel bad for the timid adults who restrained themselves to toe-tapping in their seats because it wasn't the show they expected. Turns out, this is the closest you will come to a Talking Heads show in this day and age. It shared the band's live electricity from start to finish and mirrored the danceable ecstasy of the 80's.