David Byrne and St. Vincent blossom in luminous Meijer Gardens concert

The two New York artists with rare musical flair treated the crowd of 1,700 on a muggy night at the amphitheater to a singular show. (Review, photo gallery)

 

“Oh my goodness, it started to rain,” remarked singer and multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, during her Sunday night show with David Byrne at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

Indeed it had, and perfect timing, too.

Just as the duo launched into a rousing rendition of “Lightning,” the sky over the amphitheater began to empty onto the concertgoers below. Luckily, many in the audience of 1,700 had thought ahead to bring raincoats and umbrellas. No rain was going to spoil their fun and it didn’t: Almost as soon as it started, it stopped.

Nothing stopped this unlikely pairing of the former founding member of the Talking Heads and the indie singer-songwriter who goes by her stage name St. Vincent. Backed by a lush horn section and punchy, synthesized beats, the duo’s 1-hour-and-40-minute set kept audience members standing, dancing and singing along.

“We encourage picture taking,” Byrne had announced during a live message broadcast to the audience before the concert began. “We’re very proud of this show and we hope you like it, too.”

The concert was a mishmash of Byrne and St. Vincent collaborations from their album, “Love This Giant,” as well as covers of each other’s original songs. A few Talking Heads tunes also were thrown into the mix. Standout collaborations “Who,” “Weekend in the Dust,” “I Should Watch TV,” “I Am An Ape” and “The Forest Awakes” dazzled the crowd with full horn sections, brassy baritone saxophone lines and, of course, Clark’s endearing tip-toe dancing while she played guitar, along with some face-melting guitar solos.

The duo’s chemistry was on display during the synchronized choreography of Byrne’s “Lazy.” The duo danced just as much as the crowd did, and choreographed stage movements kept the horns moving throughout the set.

Clark switched between guitar, lead vocals and even a synth-bass during the song “I Am An Ape.” Byrne — who last appeared at Meijer Gardens a decade ago in the second season of concerts at the amphitheater — matched the choreography of the backing horn band during St. Vincent originals, adding vocal harmonies and occasional acoustic guitar accompaniment. Instrumentation varied throughout the set, with electronic instruments such as the theremin utilized during “Northern Lights.”

While a pairing between a New Wave veteran and an artist originally hailing from Tulsa, Okla., may seem unlikely, it was clear from the duo’s performance that this is a perfect musical union. Their sound took on a life of its own, walking the line between Byrne’s harsh-edged, upbeat, complex pop and Clark’s atmospheric, yet precise, storytelling style. They shared smiles and vocal harmonies, with Clark’s light, ethereal voice rounding out Byrne’s direct, cutting vocal style.

It was a match made in indie-pop heaven.

THE VIBE
The amphitheater boasted a mix of older Talking Heads fans and tattooed, young, hipsters with one thing in common: a love for horn-infused arrangements and upbeat pop that never toed the line of a single, specific genre.

THE NIGHT’S BIG MOMENTS
The duo returned for a two-part encore. In between, the crowd whooped and whistled, making it clear they were not leaving without a final statement from the band. The group obliged, launching into horn-heavy covers of the Talking Heads crowd favorites, “Burning Down the House” and “Road To Nowhere.” (The band had opened the encore with a cover of St. Vincent’s “Cruel,” showing off the lush, controlled horn work.) The group finished its set with a gracious bow, parading off the stage in a New Orleans-style big band jam.

THE BANTER
“The first time I heard David’s music was when I watched the film ‘Revenge of the Nerds’,” Clark quipped during the group’s encore. “It’s an excellent piece of cinema.”

“Now we come to the infomercial part of the show,” Byrne remarked in between the songs “Lightning” and “Wild, Wild Life.” “No, I’m not going to try to sell you a knife.” “Or sell us Amway,” Clark added, eliciting some hollers from the crowd.

DAVID BYRNE & ST. VINCENT: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY BY TONY NORKUS (JULY 7, 2013)

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music