David Byrne @ BGC

[Drunk Monk]

This is show 3 of 3. Been a good run by all accounts. Very theatrical show Im told. Tonight isnt sold out yet but it’s close enough that it’ll prolly sell with walk up. 

I’m on a team with a friend that’s actually my age and his partner who I’ve never met before - she’s an old bgper. Looking good for tonight.

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Small crew tonight. Half are my age. Jeff joked that we might be the oldest team RM has seen in years. His partner is Kristen and her brother is a swordsmith up in Seattle https://www.stagesmith.com/gallery/index.php

The audience looks like the symphony crowd - lotza silver hair if there’s any hair at all.

[Drunk Monk]

Every once in a while, RM kicks me down a show. It happened for Shakira earlier this year. And it happened tonight. It’s like karma coming back. So grateful.

This was a truly great show. Byrne still has it. Such showmanship. He opened with Heaven with a violin & cello accompaniment and he put my off key comment to rest. Choreography is like marching band meets broadway in front of a huge video screen. Same set every night except one song switches out and the band changes outfit colors. Tonight they were blue, last show orange. It was an even split between his solo stuff and TH standards. 4 percussionists gave it a big sound. 

Saw the first half tucked behind a balcony column, then the second from the stairwell. No calls. 

Last night they had a death on Hayes. Coded as he was getting loaded in the ambulance at the end of the night.

[Drunk Monk]

The cheap tix for tonight start at $490each!!

Holy cats! I had no idea. Now I’m even more grateful for the show. All I did for the whole show was hold the jump bag and tuck into listen to the radio a few times but I was on the balcony watching the whole show. 

I was at table service as patrons came in, handing out earplugs. I also fixed a typo on our venmo donation flyer by slicing up a sticker with my shears. I really only carry them when going thru metal detectors coming to shows so I can say ‘I’ve got shears’ when I set off the alarm and they waive me on. Actually it’s usually my shoes (steel toed), belt buckle & pins. It’s end of season so I’ve got a lot of pins. I’ll do a strip with the New Year like usual. I really need to repair my jacket. My jacket has become iconic. I’m the only one allowed to break uniform so violently because it has been grandfathered in. But it was sewn back in the AFS daze. It was that seamstress in the back whose name I have shamefully forgotten. I wonder what became of the drapery crew. PPFY must know. Dm traded the stitching (which was expertly darted) for an 8th & the drapers were really impressed with the quality (Dm had some major connects to high grade back in the daze - that was a superpower rendered obsolete by dispensaries today.)

Alright… dm needs to put the phone down and get some sleep. Many chores tomorrow.

[Drunk Monk]

So I was amongst a few other elders trying to explain the Talking Heads to some of the new gen RMers and I mentioned that they had a druggy aspect like a vet psych supervisor does and a few of the other elders raise an eyebrow. Kristin, who claims to be a big fan calls me out on it but I stick to the truth and my guns. Later, we’re watching the show together and David drops this:



Kristin glances at DM in awe and DM just grins his Cheshire Cat smile…

[Drunk Monk]

I should add that this video hardly catches the color vibrancy or the sound. But it’ll give you a taste of the staging.