If Marie Kondo had come to the concerts on July 10 at Noches del Botánico she would have left delighted. The Japanese woman who champions simplicity and 'letting go' of the superfluous would have found in the live performances of María Rodés and, above all, David Bryne, the musical and scenographic expression of her philosophy.
Minimalism in the performances to emphasise the real power and emotion, which moved all of us and left us feeling we had seen one of the best shows in years.
The guest artist of the night was María Rodés, the Catalan composer and performer who presented her latest album 'Eclíptica', and reviewed some of her previous songs.
For his part, David Byrne showed that although it seems that everything has been invented and written, there is always room for creation. The show offered by this former Talking Heads at Noches del Botánico was a true work of art; a lesson in imagination and entertainment, balanced with a sobriety and minimalism that made the music stand out above all else.
And the first thing that caught our attention was that there was nothing on stage. Absolutely nothing. Not a single instrument. Mr. David Byrne and the musicians came out and took their places. Equipped with harnesses holding keyboard, snare drum, bass drum, guitar? Up to twelve people were there during the show.
All of them perfectly coordinated, developing complex choreographies with a touch of theatricality and alternating different instruments that turned each song into perfectly executed pieces. So much so that Byrne himself commented that everything that sounded was real and live, without accompaniment or pre-recorded samplers.
A complex show that went off without a hitch and left the audience, who had sold out that night, in awe. His 'American Utopia' was played and there was time for references to politics in his interludes, but he also gave space to great Talking Heads hits, such as 'Once in a Lifetime' or 'This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)'. There was also time for his collaborations: with Fatboy Slim ('Toe Jam') or with Xpress ('Lazy') and even for covers ('Burning Down The House').
