Stop Making Sense 40th Anniversary: Talking Heads concert film rocks TIFF to become the top-grossing Imax live event

If you’re the Talking Heads, you may find yourself at the top of the Imax charts after the Toronto International Film Festival Imax screening of Stop Making Sense, the band’s legendary concert film. The Stop Making Sense 40th Anniversary TIFF screening, courtesy of A24, earned $640,839 and sold out 25 screens across 165 Imax markets in North America and the BFI Imax in London.

Fans lucky enough to attend the world premiere at Cineplex’s Scotiabank Imax Theatre in Toronto experienced a special Q&A live stream from TIFF, moderated by Spike Lee. The band’s four original members reunited for the event: David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrington.

“The unforgettable Stop Making Sense looks and sounds even more incredible in Imax, and we’re excited to share this event with TIFF and our audiences everywhere,” said CEO Rich Gelfond. “This further establishes our ability to deliver live and music experiences with extraordinary quality, and we look forward to a great run ahead with our partners at A24.”

Stop Making Sense stars core band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, P-Funk Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry, and Edna Holt. Shot over three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre in December 1983, the elaborate set features memorable Talking Heads songs like “Psycho Killer,” “Life During Wartime,” “Found a Job,” “Slippery People,” Burning Down the House,” “Making Flippy Floppy,” “This Must Be the Place,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Take Me to the River,” and more. The band changes formation several times throughout the performance, with Byrne using his rubber limbs and big suits to entertain the crowd.

Director Jonathan Demme’s first concert film is my favorite concert experience ever captured on film. I watched it for the first time three weeks after my father passed away. He was a major Talking Heads fan, and Stop Making Sense triggered a torrent of emotions on my way to ATP (All Tomorrow’s Parties). That weekend, I saw My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr., Built to Spill, Meat Puppets, Thurston Moore, Tortoise, Bardo Pond, Shellac, Polvo, Fuck Buttons, Autolux, Wooden Shjips, The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, Mercury Rev, Yo La Tengo, Les Savy Fav, Lightning Bolt, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and more. I was never the same after that.

Demme’s Stop Making Sense 40th Anniversary TIFF screening will go down in the festival’s history as one of its greatest events. I never thought I’d see the Talking Heads reunite in my lifetime, and here we are. I will lose my mind if they reunite and announce a proper tour.