David Byrne

The American Utopia Tour with special guest Benjamin Clementine.

Byrne will be performing songs from his critically acclaimed album American Utopia, as well as classics from his solo career and his days with Talking Heads.  A twelve-piece band will also join Byrne on stage for an Annie-B Parson choreographed concert that he has called  “The most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.”  Annie-B Parson also choreographed the St. Vincent and David Byrne collaboration tour around Love This Giant. 

DAVID BYRNE | AMERICAN UTOPIA UK TOUR
WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

October & November 2018 UK arena tour included in the autumn must-sees arts previews in Guardian, Mail On Sunday and Sunday Times

‘Arguably the most acclaimed live shows of the year, the blend of brilliantly simplistic staging and lighting, hugely impressive choreography and Byrne’s fantastic backing band makes for a genuinely boundary-breaking experience.  The setlist is fantastic and the whole gig is quite unlike anything else that’s been attempted in the area of live rock music.’ – Guardian, Autumn Arts Preview

‘The American Utopia tour may just be the best live show of all time.’ – NME

‘Byrne’s astonishing American Utopia stage show completely reinvents the pop concert.  It has been described as “the best live show of all time”, but that might undersell it.  This unprecedented mindmeld of modern dance, avant-garde theatre, art installation, soul revue and carnival parade makes the conventional rock show seem as old-fashioned as music hall.  When Byrne compared this tour to Stop Making Sense, he ran the risk of setting expectations unreasonably high.  The crazy thing is that he’s exceeded them.  Most artists don’t get to reinvent the pop concert once in a lifetime.  Byrne has done it twice.’ – Q

‘The American Utopia tour is one of the most mind-blowingly meticulous and awe-inspiring productions you could ever hope to see.  It might have taken more than 30 years, but Byrne has somehow made Stop Making Sense look ordinary. Perfection.’ – Independent

‘Every now and again, you’re at a show that you realise, then and there, will be spoken of as one of the greatest its attendees ever saw.  That it will still be vivid in their mind in five years, 10, and included in whatever list mechanic will rate landmark rock gigs in the discursive popular culture outlets of the future.  About six songs into David Byrne’s American Utopia presentation, choreographed with imaginative but uninvasive brilliance by Annie-B Parson, you realise that this is one of those shows.’ – Mojo


American Utopia World Tour Band:

David Byrne: vocals
Chris Giarmo: backing vocals
Tendayi Kuumba: backing vocals
Karl Mansfield: keyboard
Angie Swann: guitar
Bobby Wooten: bass
Mauro Refosco: Tamborim Tree, shaker
Davi Viera: bongos
Gustavo Leite: conga
Tim Keiper: bells/metalwork
Aaron Johnston: bass drum, snare, hi-hat
Daniel Freedman: bass, snare / hi-hat

Following his only other UK show this year at Latitude, Benjamin Clementine will be Byrne’s special guest for the UK and Irish dates.  Clementine also recently completed a run of North American dates on Byrne’s tour.  Byrne explains, “I was introduced to Benjamin Clementine’s music through a friend.  I was floored!  I asked him to perform in the 2015 Meltdown Festival I curated in London and am honored to have him join me at various stops along the American Utopia Tour!”

Artwork by Steve Powers