Ride Rise Roar is a concert documentary based on David Byrne’s tour for Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The CD, released in 2008, was a collaboration between Byrne and Brian Eno. The tour itself, however, featured music from that album and other Byrne/Eno collaborations.
The film chronicles Byrne’s process for putting the tour show together, including adding an unexpected element – modern dance. The stage show features three dancers performing the choreography of Annie-B Parson and Noémie Lafrance. The result: a charming, playful, and entertaining production. I am a dance lover, so the concept appealed to me immediately, but what I most loved was how the work of the dancers impacted all of the other performers onstage, from making the stage equipment part of the choreography, to back-up singers and musicians (male and female) dancing in tutus. Check out the trailer below and this Wired blog post for a longer review of the film.
While you’re waiting for Ride Rise Roar to become available at the library, why not enjoy some of the many other Byrne- related options we already have.
The Everything That Happens Will Happen Today tour was not Byrne’s first collaboration with dancers. In 1983 he composed, produced, and performed the music for Twyla Tharp’s The Catherine Wheel.
We also have Jonathan Demme’s critically aclaimed 1984 documentary about the Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense. David Byrne himself directed Ile Aiye (The House of Life) and True Stories. You can also borrow the music of the Talking Heads, or Byrne’s solo albums, compilations, or other productions.
Try one of our biographies if you are interested in reading more about David Byrne or the Talking Heads. Or check out a book with artists’ interpretations of Talking Heads lyrics. Finally, you may also enjoy the meandering observations and philosophical musings in Byrne’s book Bicycle Diaries.
Sarah
Eleventh Stack 