Photo: CBS
On Tuesday (November 2), David Byrne stopped by The Late Show with Stephan Colbert to celebrate American Utopia's return to Broadway. Byrne first began touring the captivating theatrical concert back in 2018, which ended up catching the eye of a few Broadway producers. The show was then adapted for Broadway before the pandemic hit. After a long hiatus, American Utopia is finally back.
To celebrate the critically acclaimed Broadway show's revival, Byrne performed 'I Zimbra' with the American Utopia cast. For those who many not know much about the show, it features Bryne, alongside eleven "untethered" musicians, who dance around the stage as they perform songs from Byrne's album of the same name, as well as many tracks from his extensive catalog. The show features songs from Talking Heads' 1977 debut album, as well as surprising deep-cut choices like 'I Should Watch TV.'
The performance from The Late Show captures the show's vibrance and will surely leave viewers feeling like they need to get up and dance. If you enjoyed this small snippet from American Utopia, you can also stream the full concert film, which was directed by Spike Lee, on HBO Max.
Byrne also took a few minutes to chat with Stephen Colbert about the show, as well as show him a few dance moves for when he's listening to American Utopia's music.
When Byrne first released his American Utopia album, he wrote a note to fans about the inspiration behind the project. "America—or to be correct the United States—was founded as a Utopian Experiment. Though it never did succeed in all its aims enough were realized in the brief history to give hope to many," he began. "Now it seems we are seeing that hope, those possibilities, be withdrawn. The project seems on the verge of complete and utter failure. So, naturally, we all now ask ourselves—was it too much to ask? Are we wrong about how humans can be? Is there another way? Can we start over?"
"I am as mystified as any of us—I have no prescriptions or sure-fire answers—but I sense that I am not the only one asking, wondering and still willing to hold on to some tiny bit of hope, still willing to not succumb entirely to despair or cynicism. It’s not easy, but music helps," he continued.