Last weekend, David Byrne got onstage at New York’s Public Theater as a part of this year’s Under The Radar Festival to help lead the audience in covers of classic songs by legendary pop hit-makers, including David Bowie‘s “Heroes” and Madonna‘s “Borderline”. Toronto-based group Choir! Choir! Choir! is composed of Daveed Goldman, Nobu Adilman, and whoever happens to be in the audience on any given evening. At the pair’s shows, they teach the audience multi-part vocal arrangements of classic songs, and then get star musicians to come out and sing them with the fan chorus.
As Byrne commented following the performance in a post on his Instagram, “I’ve sat mesmerized watching online videos of the Canadian group Choir! Choir! Choir! They somehow manage to get hundreds of strangers to sing beautifully together—in tune and full-voiced—with rich harmonies and detailed arrangements. With almost no rehearsal—how do they do it?? They manage to achieve lift off—that feeling of surrender when groups sing together—when we all become part of something larger than ourselves.”
2018 is shaping up to be a very busy year for former Talking Heads auteur David Byrne. On March 9th, Byrne will release American Utopia (via Todomundo/Nonesuch Records), marking his first release since 2012’s St. Vincent collaboration, Love This Giant, and his first solo album since 2004’s Grown Backwards. He is also mounting an extensive tour behind the new album, with 80 stops on the calendar worldwide between the beginning of March and the end of August.
To check out a full list of David Byrne’s upcoming tour dates or get updates on his upcoming album, head to his website.
For more information about Choir! Choir! Choir!’s upcoming performances, head to their site.
[Cover photo: David Byrne Instagram]