David Byrne & St. Vincent In Concert

By Bob Boilen

Published January 9, 2013 at 2:03 PM EST

Last year's collaboration between St. Vincent (Annie Clarke) and David Bryne was surprising on many levels. The album they wrote and recorded together, Love This Giant, is inspired and artful, if not as immediately accessible as some of the solo work each of them has made in the past. On stage, performed live at the Strathmore music hall in Bethesda, MD, the songs found their heart and soul. A band of brilliant brass players made the tunes swing a lot more than they do on the record.

Love This Giant allowed both Byrne and Clark to make songs that were slightly out of their comfort zones; they dug into less familiar territory and found something fresh. When performed live, new songs such as "Who" and "I Am an Ape" sound powerful. But old favorites also surfaced from their solo catalogs, whether it was Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House" or the Byrne-Eno collaboration "Strange Overtones," or St. Vincent performing "Marrow" from her 2009 album Actor.

All of these performances became less about nostalgia or their individual fame, and more about creation and building on something great, from a pair of strong creative souls born 30 years apart.

As you watch the performance, keep an eye out for Kelly Pratt, formerly of the band Beirut, on lead horn, as well as fantastic synchronized dancing choreographed by Annie-B Parson. You can also see Byrne and Clark rehearse for the concert in this special video from our In Practice series.

Set List:

"Who"
"Strange Overtones"
"Marrow"
"The One Who Broke Your Heart"
"I Am An Ape"
"The Forest Awakes"
"I Should Watch TV"
"Lightning"
"Burning Down The House"

Touring Band:

Annie Clark: Guitar/Vocals
David Byrne: Guitar/Vocals
Daniel Mintseris: Keyboards, Musical Director
Brian Wolfe: Drums
Kelly Pratt: Trumpet, Flugelhorn, French Horn, Flute
Dave Nelson: Trombone
Jon Natchez: Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone
Bryan Murray: Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone
Rachel Drehmann: French Horn
Jason Disu: Trombone
John Altieri: Sousaphone, Tuba
Carter Yasutake: Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Credits:

Producers: Mito Habe-Evans, Robin Hilton; Videographers: Denise DeBelius, Christopher Parks, Maggie Starbard, A.J. Wilhelm; Audio engineer: Pete Keppler; Special thanks to: The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Md.; Executive producers: Anya Grundmann, Keith Jenkins