David Byrne - Tiny Desk Concert (2025-12-01)

We've recently seen David Byrne twice on his "Who is the Sky?" tour.  The first time was on September 27, 2025 in Washington DC, and the second was May 13, 2026 in Virginia Beach.  We enjoyed it so much, we'd happily see him a third time.  Combining the best elements of performance art and a marching band, the highly choreographed show is engaging and visually unlike any concert we've seen before. It's simultaneously minimalist and overwhelming, simple and complex.  

I've seen some full audience recordings of shows from this tour, but they get taken down pretty quickly.  In the mean time, enjoy the Tiny Desk Concert version of this show -- complete with all 13 (!) members in the studio!

The above photos are from the Anthem in DC, and the photos below are from the Dome in Virginia Beach. 

Bruce Springsteen - "Streets of Minneapolis"

Bruce Springsteen released the single "Streets of Minneapolis" earlier this week.   

Through the winter's ice and cold
Down Nicollet Avenue
A city aflame fought fire and ice
'Neath an occupier's boots
King Trump's private army from the DHS
Guns belted to their coats
Came to Minneapolis to enforce the law
Or so their story goes 

Against smoke and rubber bullets
In the dawn's early light
Citizens stood for justice
Their voices ringing through the night
And there were bloody footprints
Where mercy should have stood
And two dead, left to die on snow-filled streets
Alex Pretti and Renee Good 

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
We'll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
Here in our home, they killed and roamed
In the winter of '26
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis 

Trump's federal thugs beat up on
His face and his chest
Then we heard the gunshots
And Alex Pretti lay in the snow dead
Their claim was self-defense, sir
Just don't believe your eyes
It's our blood and bones
And these whistles and phones
Against Miller and Noem's dirty lies 

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Crying through the bloody mist
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis 

Now they say they're here to uphold the law
But they trample on our rights
If your skin is black or brown, my friend
You can be questioned or deported on sight
In our chants of "ICE out now"
Our city's heart and soul persists
Through broken glass and bloody tears
On the streets of Minneapolis 

Oh, our Minneapolis, I hear your voice
Singing through the bloody mist
Here in our home, they killed and roamed
In the winter of '26
We'll take our stand for this land
And the stranger in our midst
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis
We'll remember the names of those who died
On the streets of Minneapolis

Bruce has always been a populist, but his stories were encoded with the themes of Americana (e.g., "Badlands", "My Hometown", "Born in the USA"), which often caused casual listeners to focus on the story at the expense of the message.  Even "The Ghost of Tom Joad", which had been his most overtly political song, borrowed its frame from "The Grapes of Wrath".  

"Streets of Minneapolis" abandons all such conceits, and the message is raw and direct.  

"Streets of Minneapolis" -- studio, live 2026-01-30*

* bonus link: The live link above is from a 3 song set with Tom Morello, in which they also did "The Ghost of Tom Joad" and John Lennon's "Power to the People".  At the beginning of the set, he says "nuance is wonderful, but sometimes you need to kick them in the teeth."