dietsch

David Byrne at the Murat

I should have posted this before. Sunday evening, I saw David Byrne in Indianapolis with friends Anne, Emily, and Dawn. Before the show, we dined at a cool place on Pennsylvania called Ruthellen's and then walked over to the Murat Center to see Byrne. As much of a Talking Heads fan as I am, I'd never seen Byrne perform live. Dinner was fabulous--the food was wonderful, conversation was great, and the service was very good. I appreciated very much that the staff allowed enough time to pass between appetizer and salad and dinner that we felt as if we were lingering leisurely over our meals. Byrne was amazing; he was full of energy and humor and just as limber as he was 20 years ago. His band that was tight, focused, and also energetic. We were in the Egyptian Room at the Murat, which is SRO and general admission. We were close to the stage, and so we could see Byrne and the band very well. But there was enough room for us to dance and really rock out, too. He performed about five old Talking Heads tunes, a nice selection off his new album, and several other songs--including Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody." Sunday evening was the happiest thing I've done in a very long time. And what makes it all the more remarkable is that I've known Emily and Dawn for less than a month and yet you never would have guessed that. There are far worse things for a young man than to spend a nice evening in the company of three lovely and witty women, watching one of the finest songwriters and performers of the last 30 years. I've long thought that if I could choose any place and era in which to live, I'd choose to hang with the CBGB crowd circa 1977. Imagine watching the Talking Heads, the Ramones, Patti Smith, Blondie, and the Pretenders, all early in their careers.