There’s a prevalent issue in concert films: they have to be more than just pointing a camera at a stage, watching a performance of something that you couldn’t attend. Some inventive ones, like the Disney+ release of Hamilton, have opted to make it feel like a film, with editing and camera moves that put you on stage with the performers. The concert film Metallica: Through the Never added a narrative around their performances, involving Dane DaHaan as a roadie facing off the apocalypse while the band play their hits.
David Byrne’s American Utopia has an ace in its sleeve. Not only is the concept of the show one about making the world seem better and brighter, but it’s also directed by Spike Lee. Lee is a director of great prowess who knows how to edit, and how to shoot things in a way that makes them even more dynamic and interesting.
Byrne, perhaps best known for being a member of Talking Heads, has something to say in his show about what makes mankind happy, and what makes the world better. His songs fit this theme, and the band, two dancers and Byrne all dressed in plain grey suits add a sort of sci-fi feel to it all.
In between the songs, Byrne explains his rationale, but this never feels dry or boring; Byrne is a very witty person, and has a deadpan humour that really gets you on board. “Hi, my name is David Byrne” he begins to applause “don’t applaud me, I didn’t choose my name.” He takes his time, playing the hits to fantastic routines and rapport with his band and the audience before getting to the heart.
One message that comes across strongly is that voting is key to the future — not enough people are voting, and the more people who vote, the better a world will be. His most moving number is a song by Janelle Monae Hell You Talmbout, which Lee juxtaposes with pictures of those mentioned, and the end of the song gives the names of the far too many Black Americans killed unjustly.
But Byrne isn’t just about the serious. The wit shines through, along with the funky songs that he sings with a sort of pastor-like intensity. At one point, he talks of a cover of his song Everybody’s Coming To My House and how it changed the meaning to be more hopeful, more inviting. He laments afterwards… “I can only be me, though”.
David Byrne’s American Utopia is not a concert film so much as a science fiction narrative. It’s about a world made perfect by human connection and song, where the colour of your skin isn’t reason to be afraid, and everyone is joined in dance and song. It might be the most hopeful joint Spike Lee’s ever given us, and Byrne’s music reminds you that the man is a bona fide genius.
