Heads in Motion: “Stop Making Sense … Again" at the Capitol Theatre -- February 21.
Saturday, February 21, 8 p.m.
Capitol Theatre, 330 West Third Street, Davenport IA
Faithfully recreating the groundbreaking music, minimalist staging, and infectious rhythms that made the original performance iconic, the Quad Cities' 10-piece Talking Heads tribute act Heads in Motion performs the groundbreaking Stop Making Sense at Davenport's Capitol Theatre on February 21, delivering the hypnotic pulse of “Psycho Killer,” the explosive joy of “Once in a Lifetime,” and other classics in a full-throttle celebration of one of the most influential live shows in music history.
Formed in New York City in 1975 and active until 1991, Talking Heads was composed of Byrne (lead vocals, guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass), and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar). Described by AllMusic.com as "one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the '80s," the group helped to pioneer New Wave music by integrating elements of punk, art rock, funk, and world music with avant-garde sensibilities and an anxious yet clean-cut image. As former art-school students who became involved in the 1970s New York punk scene, Talking Heads released their 1977 debut album Talking Heads: 77 to laudatory reviews. They went on to collaborate with producer Brian Eno on a trio of critically acclaimed releases – 1978's More Songs About Buildings & Food, 1979's Fear of Music, and 1980's Remain in Light – that blended their art-school/punk sensibilities with influence from artists such as Parliament-Funkadelic and Fela Kuti. By the early 1980s, they began to expand their band by including a number of additional musicians in recording sessions and stage shows, notably guitarist Adrian Belew, keyboardist Bernie Worrell, singer Nona Hendryx, and bassist Busta Jones.
After a hiatus, Talking Heads hit their commercial peak in 1983 with the U.S. Billboard top-10 hit "Burning Down the House" from the album Speaking in Tongues, and the following year, the musicians released their critically lauded concert film Stop Making Sense, directed by future Silence of the Lambs Oscar winner Jonathan Demme. Talking Heads released their best-selling album Little Creatures in 1985, produced a soundtrack album for Byrne's directorial debut True Stories in 1986, and released their final album, 1988's world-beat-influenced Naked, before officially disbanding in 1991.
In 2002, Talking Heads were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, four of their albums appear in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and three of the group's songs – "Psycho Killer," "Life During Wartime," and "Once in a Lifetime" – were included among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. Talking Heads were also number 64 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time," and made the roster in the 2011 update of Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." Meanwhile, as a solo artist, Byrne won both an Oscar and a Grammy for helping to compose the score for 1987 Best Picture winner The Last Emperor, received a special Tony Award for his Broadway smash David Byrne's American Utopia, and was Oscar-nominated as one of the composers of Best Original Song nominee "This Is a Life" from seven-time Academy Award winner Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Heads in Motion's Stop Making Sense ... Again will be performed in Davenport on February 21 with an additional set by Winterland, admission to the 8 p.m. concert event is $28-29, and more information and tickets are available by visiting FirstFleetConcerts.com/first-fleet-venues/capitol-theatre.
