Ride, Rise, Roar

If someone only thought of David Byrne as the guy in the big suit from Talking Heads then the new documentary/concert film Ride, Rise, Roar might come as a shock. Directed by David Hillman Curtis, Ride, Rise, Roar follows the creation and execution of the live show that Byrne toured with in 2008-09 to support the Everything That Happens Will Happen Today album made with Brian Eno. The concert, which features three dancers and the work of four choreographers, is much less self-consciously awkward than parts of Byrne's live work with Talking Heads and also much warmer. The songs mix new material and some hot performances of Talking Heads classics, and the effect of seeing Byrne attack these songs while surrounded by three dancers who look like unemployed MFA's is to renew one's faith in the life of the working musician. If it's worth it to Byrne to invent a live performance when he could simply play his hits over and over, then despite all the bleating about music and the industry maybe there's still a reason to work. The backstage portion of Ride, Rise, Roar follows the creation of the live show from Byrne's conception to dancers auditions ("We wanted dancers who didn't look like dancers.") to rehearsals, with all involved getting a voice to explain their choices. There seem to have been no egos involved, especially from the star, and it's fun to see Byrne shuffling around with the dancers in a rehearsal room. If not enough specific questions are answered (Why does everyone wear a tutu during "Burning Down the House"?) it's made up for by the bewitching overall effect. Byrne, whose explanation of his online collaboration with Eno is inadvertently also an explanation of why opening a recording studio is a shaky investment, seems to have lost none of his energy for making and playing music. Ride, Rise, Roar ends up being a celebration of music, collaboration, and creativity.