David Byrne did a bit of double duty on Colbert Monday night, sitting on the couch for a brief interview and performing his Who Is the Sky? track “When We Are Singing.” Watch both ahead.
The Late Show stop came ahead of Byrne’s next tour leg supporting his latest album. Byrne talked to Colbert about the design of the live shows, saying he “knew I wanted it to be colorful; the last one was gray… I thought, ‘No. Times we live in, we need some color.’” Which isn’t to say the concerts aren’t without their moments of seriousness, as when ICE footage plays on the screen at the end of “Life During Wartime.” “We show it at the very end,” Byrne explained. “We start off with some footage that I saw of this — looks like a delivery guy on a bike being chased by the ICE guys — and he gets away!”
Byrne’s fellow Colbert guest John Mulaney was at the show where that footage debuted: “Biggest, coolest reaction I’ve ever seen from a live audience, ever,” Mulaney said. “Incredible.”
After also talking about his Chicago-based interactive theater show Theater of the Mind, Byrne stuck around to perform “When We Are Singing.” Taking up the entirety of the Late Show stage (even going behind Colbert’s desk), the performance was a bite-sized representation of the weird, magical art of Byrne’s current stage show. Byrne and his backup singers/dancers swayed with exaggerated movements as they wove in and out of the ever-mobile band, at one point mimicking plucking words straight from their mouths.
Watch it below, and then sang tickets to see David Byrne’s full live show here. Find all his upcoming tour below.
David Byrne 2026 Tour Dates:
04/04 — Vancouver, CA @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
04/05 — Vancouver, CA @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
04/07 — Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium
04/08 — Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium
04/11 — Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04/14 — Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
04/16 — Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheater
04/18 — Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival
04/20 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace
04/21 — Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre
04/24 — Houston, TX @ Smart Financial Centre
04/28 — St. Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre
04/29 — St. Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre
05/01 — Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
05/02 — Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre
05/03 — Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre
05/05 — Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
05/07 — Cleveland, OH @ Playhouse Square – KeyBank State Theatre
05/09 — Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
05/11 — Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
05/12 — Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
05/13 — Virginia Beach, VA @ The Dome
05/15 — Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
05/16 — Baltimore, MD @ Hippodrome Theatre
05/17 — Baltimore, MD @ Hippodrome Theatre
06/07 — Dublin, IE @ St Anne’s Park
06/12 — Oslo, NO @ Piknik i Parken
06/14 — Stockholm, SE @ Rosendal Garden Party
06/17 — Prague, CZ @ O2 Universum
06/18 — Budapest, HU @ Budapest Arena
06/21 — Athens, GR @ Release Athens x SNF Nostos
06/23 — Bari, IT @ Fiera del Levante
06/25 — Lucca, IT @ Piazza Napoleone
06/26 — Marostica, IT @ Marostica Summer Festival
06/28 — Pula, HR @ Arena Pula
07/01 — Gdynia, PL @ Open’er Festival
07/03 — Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival
07/04 — Beuningen, NL @ Down The Rabbit Hole
07/10 — Barcelona, ES @ Cruïlla Festival
07/11 — Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival
07/14 — Cascais, PT @ Ageas Cooljazz Festival
07/18 — Halifax, UK @ TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall
07/20 — Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh Playhouse
07/21 — Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh Playhouse
07/22 — Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh Playhouse
07/24 — Henham, UK @ Latitude Festival
07/26 — Cardiff, UK @ TK Maxx presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle
07/29 — Reykjavic, IC @ Sena Live
