Start Making Sense: Talking Heads Tribute

Start Making Sense brings their Talking Heads tribute to Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Cervantes' Other Side on Friday, October 9. It's a full-band recreation of the music Talking Heads put out over their entire career, rather than a set focused on one era or a handful of hits.

They're a seven- to ten-piece outfit, and that size matters here. A good part of the Talking Heads' sound—especially the later, more polyrhythmic stuff—comes from having a full rhythm section and multiple layers of percussion and keys running at once. With a band this big, they can actually fit all those parts in a room instead of relying on a stripped-back version. Frontman Jon Braun takes on the David Byrne role, and the stage show carries much of the same live energy the band was known for. Reviews describe it as a rockin', funkin', danceable celebration of the new-wave art punk they loved in the 1980s.

If you're familiar with the band, you know that their live shows were often a different beast from the records—more danceable, more layered, and more focused on the groove. That's the energy they're aiming for here. The set pulls from the whole run, so you'll hear the early, jagged art-punk alongside the later, more rhythmic work. It's a tribute that looks at the band's entire trajectory rather than just the highlights.

The show starts at 8 PM on Friday, October 9, at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom & Cervantes' Other Side in Denver. Admission is free.