I knew last night's concert would be more than just really good music by David Byrne, the now gray-haired and legendary frontman of the Talking Heads. And it was: a theatrical performance that included interpretive dance, office chairs, and a 17-piece marching band over about an hour and 40 minutes. Byrne, on a 36-city North American tour, took the stage at Davies Symphony Hall (along with three backup singers, a keyboardist, guitarist, bassist, percussionist, and drummer) dressed from head to toe in white—and from my seats on the second tier of the hall, the band looked like a bunch of 1950s soda jerks.

They opened with a choppy and disappointing "Strange Overtones," a phenomenal and funky track from Byrne and collaborator Brian Eno's new album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. I was nervous that the rest of the show would be equally uninspired and disjointed. Thankfully, I was wrong. By the third song, "One Fine Day," a beatific, chorus-filled number from the new album, Byrne and crew had settled into the vast hall and were noticeably tighter. "There's a lyric in that song that goes, 'Everything will change, one fine day,'" Byrne said, after the applause had subsided. "Hopefully, that day will be November 4th." The hall erupted. "Unless you like illegal wars," he said, before launching into "Houses in Motion," an old Talking Heads tune that garnered bobbing heads and huge applause.


David Byrne and his band play "One Fine Day" from Byrne and Brian Eno's new album, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.

The highlight of the night, for me at least, came during "Crosseyed and Painless," another Talking Heads song from the band's fourth album, Remain in Light. This was the tune that brought the lower level to their feet and ultimately inspired the rest of Davies Symphony Hall to join them. "Life During Wartime," a particularly pertinent song with the familiar lyrics "This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around..." was another rollicking highlight by the David Byrne of yore.

Between the second and third encores, Byrne asked the audience to clear the aisles, at which point the marching band—led by two shirtless, flamboyant flagsmen—tore through the crowd and took the stage for a sharp, paradelike interlude, while three female