Indianapolis, IN. – The Egyptian Room inside Old National Centre played host Sunday night to the Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew: Remain In Light tour with special guests Cool, Cool, Cool.
A little history may be in order to understand the significance of this show. Jerry Harrison was an original member of Talking Heads. A band most critics credit as progenitors of the “new wave” music scene. Their albums of the late 70’s and early 80’s defined college rock radio for a generation, culminating with the Stop Making Sense tour and concert film released in 1984 on the success of their hit single “Burning Down the House“. The original band featuring Harrison (guitar, vocals, keyboards), David Byrne (vocals, guitars), Tina Weymouth (bass, vocals), & Chris Frantz (drums, vocals) was joined in the studio for their fourth studio release Remain In Light by noted studio /touring guitarist Adrian Belew.
The current tour showcases the classic studio material from the early Heads catalog especially the Brian Eno produced Remain in Light which was performed in almost its entirety Sunday evening. Opening act Cool, Cool, Cool served double duty with both an opening set as well as accompanying Harrison & Belew on the Heads material during the main show. This band is a revamp with most of the members previously performing as Turkuaz . Originally formed in 2008 out of the East coast Berklee scene, Cool Cool Cool features Craig Broadhead (guitar, synths), Chris Brouwers (trumpet, keyboards), Michelangelo Carubba (drums), Shira Elias (vocals), Sammi Garett (vocals), Julie Slick (bass – from the Belew Power Trio), Greg Sanderson (tenor saxophone), and Josh Schwartz (baritone saxophone, vocals) with special guest Yahuba Garcia-Torres (percussionist). The ensemble did a great job in getting the crowd ready with some danceable funk; showcasing the vocal talents of Shira, Sammi, and Josh as well as the nice embellishments of “The Horn Section”.
After a brief break (there are advantages to having your headlining musicians as your opening act) and a quick costume change Jerry & Adrian joined the rest of the band on stage. Kicking off with “Pyscho Killer” from the debut album Talking Heads ’77 followed by “Crosseyed and Painless” from the 1980’s Remain in Light album – there was no doubt what this evening’s show was going to be about. The eleven-piece ensemble faithfully recreated many of the Talking Heads greatest tunes- effortlessly tackling the complex polyrhythms and dense arrangements. Belew, in particular, seemed to be enjoying himself as he manipulated amazing sounds out of his guitar in the style that has earned him the nickname the “twang bar king“. With a unique sound all his own, Belew has been the guitarist of choice for artist as diverse as Frank Zappa, David Bowie, NIN, King Crimson, The Bears and has released over 20 solo albums.
Jerry Harrison looked fit and happy to be on stage at 74 channeling the energy of the curly haired barefoot youth he was on stage with the Heads in the late 70’s. Since the Heads dissolved in 1991 Harrison has achieved major success as a record producer with an artist roster that could fill a page (look it up!) as well as three solo albums. Tonight he led the band with all the great 80’s synth sounds and funky guitar riffs punched up with the energy of the Cool, Cool, Cool horns and rhythm section and Adrian’s sonic additions. The simple stage & lighting production (no big screens, no fog, no giant light rig, no lasers, etc.) served to highlight the musical performance and band interaction even more and the energy remained high on stage from start to finish. For anyone who was a fan at the time or if you unfortunately missed out (since the Heads quit touring in 1985) this is a must see to experience just what that band was all about.
Setlist: Indianapolis
- Psycho Killer (Talking Heads cover)
- Crosseyed and Painless (Talking Heads cover)
- Houses In Motion (Talking Heads cover)
- I Zimbra (Talking Heads cover)
- Drugs (Talking Heads cover)
- Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) (Talking Heads cover)
- Cities (Talking Heads cover)
- Rev It Up (Jerry Harrison cover)
- Slippery People (Talking Heads cover)
- Thela Hun Ginjeet (King Crimson cover)
- Life During Wartime (Talking Heads cover)
- Once In A Lifetime (Talking Heads cover)
- Take Me To The River (Al Green cover)
Encore:
- The Great Curve (Talking Heads Cover)
Harrison & Belew have a few more weeks of the Remain In Light tour before a brief break; resuming in May for a handful more dates of the Remain In Light tour before joining up with Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade for dates in the month of June.
JERRY HARRISON: FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM
ADRIAN BELEW: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE
Show Date: 02/26/2023
