My friend Mike and I saw Stop Making Sense tonight. I saw the film when it first opened in 1984 at the Ziegfeld Theater. I remembered loving the music and, of course, the big suit but it’s been so long that I didn’t remember much else.

I had forgotten how much fun the film is. I had to restrain myself from clapping after every song as if I were at a concert but I was dancing in my seat. They were all so young and watching them run and dance is exhausting.

The work put into the choreography is otherworldly. When I saw it the first time, it was a concert film. Now I can see the hours and hours that went into making such precise moves so that no one is bumping into the set or each other. Even the stage crew is choreographed.

Here’s a film of David Byrne rehearsing and creating moves for the Speaking in Tongues tour that eventually became the Stop Making Sense film.