Talking Heads bring Stop Making Sense back to the Pantages

In December 1983, Talking Heads performed four nights at Hollywood's Pantages Theatre. Jonathan Demme famously captured this in the concert film Stop Making Sense, which became a landmark not just in the band's history but in music history itself. Following A24's rerelease of the film in 2023, and several Q&As where the four members of Talking Heads reunited, the band is back again with the first of two Stop Making Sense events this June (the second of which takes place in New York on June 13th)

On Tuesday, June 4th, 2024, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and David Byrne returned to the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles for the first time in 40 years, and were met with an excited sold-out crowd spanning generations. As the audience waited for this special screening of Stop Making Sense, a DJ brought out a variety of appropriate songs, including Jerry Harrison's Slink and David Byrne & Brian Eno's The Jezebel Spirit, as well as Brian Eno's Baby's on Fire, The B-52's Dance This Mess Around, and Suicide's Ghost Rider. Meanwhile, the stage displayed an old boombox - in fact, this particular boombox was so old that it was around in 1983 to be featured in the intro to the film!

The moderator was originally going to be Fred Armisen, but due to scheduling problems, he was replaced at the last minute with Andy Richter, who very enthusiastically took the once in a lifetime role. Around 8:10pm, he appeared on stage to introduce himself, clarify Fred Armisen's absence, promote some of the available Stop Making Sense media/merchandise, then introduce Blondshell.

Sabrina Teitelbaum, who uses the stage name Blondshell (and previously BAUM), was one of the artists featured on the Everyone's Getting Involved tribute album that A24 released in May, with an ethereal reimagining of Thank You For Sending Me An Angel. She was announced as a guest performer for the Stop Making Sense event in Los Angeles, to perform her cover of the song. For the upcoming New York counterpart to this event, The Linda Lindas are due to perform their cover of Found a Job.

After this performance of Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, the screen came down for the film. Like a lot of Stop Making Sense screenings, but especially the ones that included the band, the audience was incredibly eager to dance throughout the film. Some attendees have shared photos from further back which beautifully capture the Pantages crowd in 2024 and the Pantages crowd in 1983 together, both entranced by the same awe-inspiring concert.

After the film screening, Andy Richter took to the stage once again to welcome Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, and David Byrne - creating the surreal sight of all four Talking Heads on the same stage where they famously stood four decades ago. And of course, a This Must Be The Place-style lamp stood alongside them. As they discussed the film, Andy Richter asked the audience who attended the original shows in 1983, with several people standing up.

Like some of the other Q&As in 2023, they were also joined by film producer Gary Goetzman. After some conversation, they answered a range of questions submitted by the audience members. As usual, fans submitted a wide range of questions, including what inspired Tina's crab dance, what musicians they aspired to be like when they were growing up, what SMS would be like with a different director, decisions on mixing, and what moments they'd like to relive.

Even though they only appeared for slightly less than an hour, their presence surely created a life-changing experience for many people that night. Shortly after the end of the show, some lucky fans ended up meeting some of the band as they left the building, with a jealousy-inspiring set of signatures and selfies being shared online. The Pantages, deeply crowded with satisfied fans, began to empty.

Alongside what was seen on stage, the band also participated in a couple of other photoshoots while they were there. One of these took place in front of a wall of frames used in the film, Talking Heads posed with several combinations of guests including touring band members Alex Weir and Lynn Mabry, producer Gary Goetzman, host Andy Richter, and opening artist Blondshell. They were also presented with plaques commemorating the sales of their early single Psycho Killer.

Another photoshoot that the band took part in was to promote This Must Be The Place - and not the song. This non-profit organization provides free naloxone, particularly at music festivals, in their aim to combat the fentanyl epidemic. Naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose, and photos were released after the event of each Talking Head holding a pack.

Talking Heads will return on June 13th at Brooklyn's Kings Theatre in New York City, with another sold-out screening, including a Q&A moderated by Questlove of The Roots, as well as The Linda Lindas performing their cover of Found a Job.