I was anticipating seeing the Beastie Boys. I was curious about Springsteen. But watching David Byrne play a dozen songs I’ve loved since late childhood is something so fantastic that I don’t think I actually realized I would experience it until about halfway through Bonnaroo’s Friday. Truthfully though, it was probably better that way. If I’d thought about it once, I doubt I would have stopped watching live videos until I packed the car for Manchester.

Now, before I get started gushing about the Talking Heads and give you the mistaken impression that this was some sort of all decades-old material show, let me give a mention to his solo material which made up a good chunk of the set. As I said on Twitter, the Talking Heads songs were the best I heard at the festival and his solo material was stronger than most band’s A-Game. So even though I’ll be flipping my lid over the course of this review for songs recorded as part of the Byrne/Eno/Talking Heads collaboration, just know that it’s only because they’re gold, his solo material is silver and most other bands are bronze on a good day.

As you may have seen on the Colbert Report or at various shows across the world, David Byrne has assembled a dance/vocal group to back him up on his current tour. They’re all young, cute and wear all white. It makes for a pleasing visual that doesn’t overpower, but does present a united front. So while hearing Byrne sing some of the best songs of the last hundred years, you got to enjoy watching some energetic, fit people do some professional (and some less professional looking) dance moves across the stage.

But the songs! David Byrne sounded even better live than I would’ve thought. After all the time I’ve spent watching Stop Making Sense and the Live in Rome bootleg, I’ve built up their ’80s shows to a near-mythic level. So naturally I assumed that Byrne in 2009 would be a shadow of his former greatness. Not so. Naturally the musicians he brought in have nothing on Bernie Worrell/Adrian Belew/Chris Frantz, but the soul of those songs is still alive and kicking. Or, let me put it another way. I’ve seen Bob Dylan play his songs. Dylan’s old songs sound dead — and he makes no attempt to revive them. For Byrne, I think he enjoyed playing “I Zimbra” almost as much as he did his new single “One Fine Day.”

I made one of the hardest concert decisions I’ve ever made at Bonnaroo. Friday night I had to chose between seeing the last 1/3 of the Beastie Boys set and the entirety of Byrne’s. I went with the Beasties and was happy with my choice… but happy in the way that you’ve saved your favorite child from that burning building. I mean, it wasn’t really fair. I’m a bigger Talking Heads fan than I am a Beasties fan… but this wasn’t the Talking Heads. Ugh. I’m getting angry just writing about this choice. Suffice it to say that it was rough and I missed the majority of Byrne’s set.

I did, however, get back in time to enjoy the last part of the first set (I stupidly skipped out on the encores to eat and edit photos). Walking back from the Beasties’ set, I heard the familiar sounds of “Once in a Lifetime.” I feel like every other Talking Heads fan enjoys that song more than I do, but on that night I was right there with them. That gave way to one of my favorites from Stop Making Sense, “Life During Wartime.” While we didn’t get the jogging-in-place dance from that film, it was still a very special treat. Byrne ended out his first set with “Take Me To the River” (sadly sans Al Green) and “The Great Curve.”

More photos after the break…