David Byrne

Photo by Gary Miller

David Byrne

God bless David Byrne for stepping onstage Friday night in white orthopedic shoes. From set opener "Strange Overtones," the best song on his new collaboration with Brian Eno, the venerable eklektiko led an all-white affair from head to toe (save for his eyebrows) to the backup dancers in his stage ensemble. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today's "One Fine Day" sounded glazed and medicated on the big stage, setting the tone for an hourlong set that included a half-dozen dancers flitting about behind him free-form. Then Byrne threw the crowd some Talking Heads with "Once in a Lifetime," appropriate "Life During Wartime," and "Crosseyed & Painless." Closer "I Feel My Stuff" featured Byrne and his dancers opening on a choreographed set-piece, and for a moment it looked like they might start snapping into a song from West Side Story. Thankfully, it only lasted several minutes, but he managed to take one of Everything's biggest duds and make something funky and new out of it. It was a very "adult" live experience, but Byrne's paid his dues and can wear whatever shoes he's most comfortable dancing in. No doubt they were environmentally-friendly.