Live at Union Chapel

AMG Review of Live at Union Chapel

Greg Prato
All Music Guide

Along with David Bowie and Neil Young, David Byrne is quite the 'musical chameleon,' as you never know exactly what you're going to get with each new solo release. Case in point -- his 2004 album, Grown Backwards. Instead of following the rip-hop inflected style of his previous two releases, 1997's Feelings and 2001's Look Into the Eyeball, Byrne did an about face, and hooked up with a string section. For his first-ever solo-live-DVD, Live at Union Chapel, Byrne performs both solo and Talking Heads tracks with both his normal backing band (bass, drums, and percussion), along with the aforementioned string section. And as the DVD's title states, Byrne opted not to film a performance in a renowned ock venue, choosing a chapel instead! The DVD catches Byrne in fine voice (and he remains a great performer all these years later -- although the gigantic Stop Making Sense suit has been replaced by what appears to be a mechanic's outfit), as evidenced by great versions of such classics as "And She Was" and "Once in a Lifetime," while the string section puts a unique spin on "This Must Be the Place (Naďve Melody)." In addition to the live performance, short interview clips with Byrne are also dispersed throughout the program.