David Byrne: Tiny Desk Concert

Robin Hilton | December 1, 2025
David Byrne has a long history of staging elaborate live shows, often with a sprawling cast of musicians, highly choreographed dancing and unusual instrumentation. So when we learned he wanted to have more than a dozen performers at the Tiny Desk, playing everything from cello, saxophone and marimba to a Brazilian timbau and zabumba (not to mention various guitars and keys), we weren't sure we'd be able to fit it all in.

It turns out his latest tour, for the album Who Is The Sky?, is well designed for our roughly 10 by 11-foot space. Though Byrne and his band do normally spread out across large stages, the set design for each show is almost completely bare, without any cables or amps, and the artists wear or carry compact, custom-made instruments to make it easier to move, almost like a marching band.

It's cozy, but Byrne and his band, in matching, brilliant blue suits, squeeze behind the Desk to perform four songs, opening with the euphoric "Everybody Laughs," followed by "Don't Be Like That," both from his new album. They also perform two Talking Heads songs: "(Nothing But) Flowers," from the 1988 album Naked, and a show-stopping version of "Life During Wartime," from 1979's Fear of Music.

It was a bucket-list performance for the Tiny Desk. Afterward, as the rest of the band and crew dispersed, Byrne hopped on a rented bike for a solo ride through the District on a beautiful, fall afternoon.

SET LIST
"Everybody Laughs"
"Don't Be Like That"
"(Nothing But) Flowers"
"Life During Wartime"

MUSICIANS
David Byrne: vocals, guitar
Mauro Refosco: percussion, music director
Ray Suen: guitar, bass, violin, music director
Kely Pinheiro: bass, cello
Daniel Mintseris: keys
Stephane San Juan: drums
Tim Keiper: percussion
Yuri Yamashita: percussion, marimba
Tendayi Kuumba: background vocals
Sasha Rivero: background vocals
Hannah Straney: background vocals
Sean Donovan: background vocals
Jordan Dobson: saxophone, background vocals

TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Robin Hilton
Director/Editor: Maia Stern
Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell
Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame, Sofia Seidel
Audio Engineer: Hannah Gluvna
Production Assistants: Dora Levite, Dhanika Pineda
Photographer: Michael Zamora
Series Editor: Lars Gotrich
Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed
Executive Director: Sonali Mehta
Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

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