#AMERICAN UTOPIA REVIEWS MOVIE#
#AMERICAN UTOPIA REVIEWS FULL#

'Since the end of David Byrne's show last night I've been trying extremely hard to think of a better gig I've seen. 'So different, so memorable, so much fun.'ĭorian Lynskey, a writer for the Guardian, Observer, and Q and music critic at British GQ, tweeted: 'Even in this golden age of stage design the David Byrne show is something genuinely, astonishingly, inspirationally new.

#AMERICAN UTOPIA REVIEWS FULL#

The Observer's Kitty Empire also gives five stars to this 'unprecedented, exquisite live show.' The Financial Times' David Cheal, in his five-star review, reports that 'from start to finish, it is joyous, life-affirming, pulsating, moving, thrilling, exhilarating.' 'Daringly ambitious and full of joy,' says the Evening Standard's David Smyth in his five-star review of the concert.

'It might have taken more than 30 years, but Byrne has somehow made Stop Making Sense look ordinary. 'The American Utopia tour is one of the most mind-blowingly meticulous and awe-inspiring productions you could ever hope to see,' says the Independent's Jeremy Allen. 'Even for an icon like Byrne, this was something special.' 'Byrne and his 11-piece band put on an unforgettably unique, imaginative, and kaleidoscopically entrancing spectacle of music, dance, and theatre,' exclaims Daily Telegraph reviewer Sarah Carson in a perfect five-star review of the American Utopia show at Eventim Apollo in London on Tuesday. The concerts have been met with rave reviews across the board, from start to finish, not least from the NME, reviewing the tour-opening show in Oxford and declaring: 'The American Utopia tour may just be the best live show of all time.' The music, choreography, and performance all reinforce his optimism, coming together to make a small amount of sense in a world that often doesn't.David Byrne's American Utopia tour made its way to the UK for a week of sold-out shows, starting at the New Theatre in Oxford and including concerts at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and Manchester Apollo, culminating in two nights at Eventim Apollo in London. He truly believes that America can and should be a place where everyone feels safe and at home, in spite of the turmoil the country is currently experiencing. H's a true believer in America, in the idea of the country as a melting pot, as a work in progress. 'We're all immigrants,' he says, and it's clear he didn't name the show American Utopia arbitrarily. As he introduces the international members of his band, he makes sure to mention that he is himself a naturalized citizen, originally from Scotland. Topics include voter turnout, police violence, and immigration. He weaves together songs from throughout his catalogue - many of which deal with themes of home, feeling safe where one lives, and sharing one's home with others - as a opportunity to gently talk about the present American moment. But he might be working in an even higher artistic register here. In American Utopia, Byrne explains how that poet, Kurt Schwitters, 'used nonsense to make sense of a world that didn't make sense.'įor those familiar with Byrne, American Utopia will feel like a companion piece to the Talking Heads' seminal 1994 concert film Stop Making Sense, easily one of the most joyful movies ever made. What sounds like a gibberish chant might actually be an homage to a German dadaist poet who used gibberish to help make sense of the otherwise unfathomable rise of the Nazi party.

And yet, what seem like quirks are often artistic choices that contain hidden layers of meaning. He can come off like a socially awkward introvert who is more comfortable observing others than being observed.

#AMERICAN UTOPIA REVIEWS MOVIE#

To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.ĭavid Byrne, perhaps best known for spastically dancing in a gigantic suit, is often thought of as a quirky performer. Though it features material from the past 40+ years, American Utopia addresses the present moment in the country's history by talking about immigration, voter turnout, and victims of police violence. The movie is directed by Spike Lee, who mixes theatrical elements from the performance - like the live audience, headset microphones, and set changes - with more traditional film elements like close-ups and a wandering camera. Byrne is accompanied by an international 10-person band who perform live music and choreography with him on stage. The music is new wave pop with elements of South American and African music woven in. American Utopia is not a traditional musical, because it has no plot, but a theatrical concert featuring songs from throughout Byrne's career as a solo artist and with his former band, Talking Heads. Parents need to know that David Byrne's American Utopia is a concert film of the Broadway show of the same name.

American utopia reviews