Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew will reunite for a special celebration of Talking Heads‘ Remain In Light in Los Angeles this fall. The event at The Wiltern on September 29th will feature songs from the 1980 jewel and other selections from the era in addition to a moderated discussion with the former Talking Heads.
Ahead of the performance, original Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison and noted touring/recording member Adrian Belew will sit for a conversation with Tawny Newsome, the band’s impact on music culture and the making of Remain In Light. Newsome is known for her acting in series like Brockmire, Space Force, Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, and more but her Talking Heads connection comes from her tenure as vocalist for the tribute act, This Must Be The Band.
The main event will then feature Harrison and Belew performing alongside a band comprised of several former members of Turkuaz. Craig Brodhead (guitar, keys), Michelangelo Carubba (drums), Chris Brouwers (trumpet, keys), Greg Sanderson (tenor sax), Josh Schwartz (baritone sax, vocals), Sammi Garett (vocals), and Shira Elias (vocals) all toured with Harrison and Belew last summer, putting on acclaimed Remain In Light performances at The Peach Music Festival, FloydFest, and more before Turkuaz dissolved last fall. These special performances came on the heels of the album’s 40th anniversary and also marked Harrison’s first live performances since 1996.
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In addition to the former Turkuaz members, the Remain In Light band includes celebrated bassist Julie Slick and percussionist Yahuba Garcia-Torres who toured with the Turkuaz lineup last year. Of the inspiration for the concert, Harrison said,
Belew came here [to San Francisco], and we got into talking about how the touring band for Remain in Light was so special. I think the album is wonderful, but we took it up a notch when we did live performances. It was sort of a different feel than the Stop Making Sense band, which is sort of captured in that Rome 1980. I’m really excited to be doing that again. You could really feel the energy and excitement, and there are so many talented musicians on stage.
Belew, who played a key role in the original Remain In Light album and tour, added,
Jerry and I had talked for several years about the rare joy of the very popular 1980 Live In Rome video on YouTube. We both felt it was something audiences would love to experience now. The show we’ve put together is everything we hoped for and more. An awesome group of players and singers faithfully and lovingly reliving the music of an historic time: The Talking Heads’ Remain In Light. You cannot leave this concert anything less than exhilarated and dancing happily out the door!”
Tickets for the Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew Remain In Light show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on September 29th go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. PT. A “Once In A Lifetime” package will also be available, which includes early entry for merch, a copy of Remain In Light on limited edition colored vinyl signed by Jerry and Adrian, private soundcheck, Q&A and meet and greet with Jerry and Adrian, limited edition silkscreen poster, and more.
