David Byrne has officially launched his Who Is the Sky? world tour, opening at Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 16 with a show that traced his five-decade career while looking firmly to the future. The night’s undeniable highlight was the return of “Psycho Killer,” performed live for the first time in 19 years, sending the crowd into raptures and setting the tone for a tour that bridges Byrne’s musical legacy with his latest chapter.
The tour follows the release of Byrne’s ninth solo album, Who Is the Sky? (out Sept. 5, 2025 via Remote Control/Matador), his first studio project since the Grammy-winning American Utopia. Produced by Kid Harpoon (Harry Styles, Miley Cyrus) and arranged with the New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra, the album draws on Byrne’s trademark balance of wit, vulnerability and social commentary. Musical collaborators include St. Vincent, Paramore’s Hayley Williams, The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, and longtime percussionist Mauro Refosco.
Byrne recently posted some video clips from the new album, including this one for “I’m An Outsider”
On stage for this tour, Byrne is joined on stage by 13 musicians, singers and dancers – many veterans of the American Utopia tour – who perform untethered by cables or fixed positions, weaving choreographed movement into every song. The Pittsburgh opener blended new tracks like “My Apartment Is My Friend” and “What Is the Reason for It?” with Talking Heads classics including “Once in a Lifetime,” “Life During Wartime,” and “Burning Down the House.” Alongside “Psycho Killer,” the set also featured the tour debut of the tongue-in-cheek “Moisturizing Thing,” underscoring Byrne’s ability to mix avant-garde curiosity with wry humour.
Australian and New Zealand audiences will experience this boundary-pushing spectacle when Byrne returns in January 2026, his first visit since 2018’s American Utopia shows. Presented by Frontier Touring, the run includes:
Wed 14 Jan – Spark Arena, Auckland, NZ
Sat 17 Jan – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
Wed 21 Jan – ICC Sydney Theatre, NSW
Thu 22 Jan – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, VIC
Sat 24 Jan – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, SA
Tue 27 Jan – RAC Arena, WA
Tickets on sale via frontiertouring.com/davidbyrne
Who Is the Sky? was born during the downtime of the pandemic and American Utopia’s Broadway run, with Byrne initially sketching rough loops and lyrics at home before building the songs into orchestral, groove-driven “mini-narratives” with Ghost Train Orchestra. Themes range from love and enlightenment to the absurdity of modern life – encapsulated in songs like “She Explains Things to Me,” “I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party,” and “The Avant Garde.” Byrne says the album is “a chance to be the mythical creature we all harbour inside … to step into another reality.”
With a new record, a bold live production, and the return of one of the most iconic songs in rock history, Byrne’s Who Is the Sky? world tour reaffirms his status as one of music’s most inventive storytellers – forever pushing forward, while never forgetting the power of where he began.
Set list from Tuesday, Sept. 16, Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center for the Performing Arts
Heaven
Everybody Laughs
And She Was
Strange Overtones
Houses in Motion
(Unknown) A new song with lyric “My beliefs are on my t-shirt”)
(Nothing but) Flowers
This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
What Is the Reason for It?
Like Humans Do
Don’t Be Like That
Independence Day
Slippery People
(Moisturizing Thing
(tour debut)
My Apartment Is My Friend
Hard Times
(Paramore cover)
Psycho Killer
Life During Wartime
Once in a Lifetime
Encore:
Everybody’s Coming to My House
Burning Down the House