Conceived for the stage by Talking Heads front-man David Byrne and lighting designer Beverly Emmons, Speaking In Tongues became one of the most-beloved concert films ever, Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense (with a live album release of the same name). Back then, the Talking Heads’ sound fell into the category of new wave or alternative—decidedly not pop—and the tour demanded a look to match the band’s off-beat sensibility. No flashing PARs here—in fact, Byrne specifically wanted no colored lights at all, and most props were painted black to keep them from distracting from the stage aesthetic. Byrne took to the bare stage with a portable cassette tape player and an acoustic guitar to start the show for “Psycho Killer,” and the set and lighting were added from there, song by song. Projection content was by Wendall K. Harrington, and the tour’s lighting director was Abigail Rosen Holmes.

<< Go back to the Top 10 Concerts of All Time page

ADDITIONAL TOUR CONTENT: