David Byrne’s Tour for Concert Film Treatment
When a live performance crosses the threshold into cinematic history, it transforms from a fleeting moment into a lasting legacy. That is the exciting story unfolding around David Byrne’s recent tour supporting his 2025 album Who Is the Sky?, as the frontman announces plans to immortalize the event in a stunning, large-screen concert film.
This ambitious project moves beyond a simple recording; it is a cinematic endeavor, following in the footsteps of iconic visual narratives like Stop Making Sense and Spike Lee’s American Utopia. The vision for this new concert movie is helmed by director Brady Corbet, whose recent work, including the Oscar-winning feature The Brutalist, showcases a mastery of visual storytelling.
Corbet is taking the reins of this monumental project, and he has chosen to capture the energy of the performance using large-format film. He opted for a rich visual experience, shooting the event on a combination of 8-perf and 15-perf 70mm film. This choice was driven by a desire to capture the full visual scope of the experience.
“When Brady told me he wanted to shoot our show in 70 millimeter (70 millimeter!) I didn’t realize what a difference it would make until I saw some frames he sent me,” Byrne shared about the technical decision. He noted that the large format truly captured the widescreen visual scope of the show, an experience he has never witnessed before.
The filming itself took place across multiple nights in May at the historic Hippodrome in Baltimore, Maryland—Byrne’s hometown. This choice roots the cinematic experience deeply in the community the performance celebrates.
The production is a collaboration between Deep End Films and Corbet’s company, Pre-Code. Corbet expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to capture the event, emphasizing the thematic heart of the performance. He described the band’s delivery as an inclusive celebration of community, specifically honoring Baltimore, one of America’s most historically rich cities.
While distribution plans remain under wraps, the focus is firmly on the quality and impact of the resulting film. Whether it is released in traditional cinema format or as a high-definition spectacle, this project promises to be a powerful memorial that captures not just music, but a vibrant, shared moment of artistic connection.
Buy on Amazon
Credit
