Performance

This 1979 Talking Heads tour, promoting the release of their Fear Of Music album, would be the last to feature the stripped down quartet lineup and the first to gain them significantly more exposure in America. They had established themselves in Europe, but outside of college radio or the New England and California
regions, America was just catching on to what an intriguing and captivating live band they were. These excerpts are from their appearance at Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music, which was one of the wildest and most memorable performances on this breakthrough tour. These excerpts, originally broadcast via the King Biscuit Flower Hour, capture several highlights from this memorable night. The band's sound was clearly evolving, containing more complex rhythmic structures and song arrangements. The new songs had increasingly funny, yet even more thought-provoking lyrics. The overt awkwardness that frontman David Byrne often displayed onstage was just beginning to be perceived as the uninhibited expression that it really was, with many now dancing to it. His unusual vocal affectations were engaging and the music was clearly beginning to resonate more deeply, particularly in a live context.