David Byrne brought “Psycho Killer” back from the dead during the opening night of his Who Is the Sky? tour in the US.
The Talking Heads frontman performed the band’s seminal hit for the first time since 2006, marking a 19-year absence from his live sets.
Standing beneath a bright spotlight, Byrne moved in synchronised fashion with his dancers and band, all dressed in matching head-to-toe blue suits. The performance positioned “Psycho Killer” strategically towards the end of the set, sandwiched between his cover of Paramore’s “Hard Times” and Talking Heads’ “Life During Wartime”.
The evening opened with Talking Heads’ “Heaven” before transitioning into Byrne’s solo material “Everybody Laughs”, followed by the band’s “And She Was” and “Stranger Overtones” from his collaborative album with Brian Eno. The setlist also featured live debuts of three tracks from Who Is the Sky?: “Don’t Be Like That”, “I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party”, and “My Apartment Is My Friend”.
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Despite the heavy inclusion of Talking Heads material, Byrne maintains clear boundaries regarding nostalgia. “You can’t turn the clock back,” he recently told Rolling Stone. “When you hear music at a certain point in your life, it means a lot. But it doesn’t mean you can go back there and make it happen again.”
This philosophy extends to his relationship with former bandmates. Last year, Byrne briefly reunited with bassist Tina Weymouth, drummer Chris Frantz, and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Harrison to promote the A24 re-release of their 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense. However, the reunion remained strictly promotional.
“We felt more comfortable with one another, but I’m just going to anticipate your next questions,” Byrne explained. “I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, yeah, let’s go out on tour again.’ Or, ‘Let’s make another record.’ Musically, I’ve gone to a very different place.”
Byrne’s reluctance to pursue full reunification reflects his artistic evolution since Talking Heads disbanded in 1991. The band’s last public performance occurred during their 2002 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, making any live rendition of their catalogue particularly significant.
“Psycho Killer” has maintained cultural relevance through numerous cover versions by artists including Miley Cyrus and Duran Duran.
The performance coincides with Talking Heads’ 50th anniversary celebrations, which earlier this year included an official video for “Psycho Killer” (watch above). Directed by Mike Mills and starring actress Saoirse Ronan, the video received praise from the band for avoiding literal interpretations.
“This video makes the song better,” the band stated. “We LOVE what this video is NOT — it’s not literal, creepy, bloody, physically violent or obvious.”
