David Byrne – Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Photo – Ashlee Sekulich/Frontier Touring
Words: Travers Southwell
After an eight-year wait, David Byrne returned to Australian stages for the first time since 2018, bringing with him the Who Is The Sky? Tour. A production that displays elements of theatre, art installation and live music. For an artist whose career has always thrived on ideas as much as sound, this tour reaffirmed why Byrne remains one of the most versatile live performers of the last four decades.
The opening stage begins with fans peering into what feels like a giant box, its stark, lunar landscape setting a minimalist yet otherworldly tone. Byrne emerges in an orange jumpsuit and opens with the song ‘Heaven’. As images of Earth slowly bloom across the rear screens, Byrne gently but firmly underlines the message: this fragile blue planet is the real heaven and preserving it is a shared responsibility.
Joined on stage by 14 singers and instrumentalists, Byrne leads an ensemble that moves, sings, and performs as a single organism. The group shifts seamlessly between choreography and musicianship as Byrne dives through a catalogue spanning more than 40 years. This included his solo work to Talking Heads classics, along with carefully chosen covers that slot naturally into the narrative of the night.
The visual design is relentless and purposeful. Large LED screens scatter images of natural disasters, political chaos, and even Byrne’s own apartment. Each song is paired with its visual, deepening the meaning rather than distracting from it.
Fans were rewarded with an expertly balanced setlist that included; Like Humans Do, Psycho Killer, Once in a Lifetime, and Burning Down the House. Each landed with renewed energy, reframed through Byrne’s ever-evolving artistic lens.
Stretching beyond 90 minutes, the set left no one disappointed. It was yet another reminder of Byrne’s calibre. An artist who refuses to coast on nostalgia, instead re-contextualising his work for the present moment. Who Is The Sky? isn’t just a tour; it’s a statement. And for Australian audiences, it was well worth the wait.