“We’re in for nasty weather,” prophesied David Byrne 42 years ago on his band Talking Heads‘ biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit. He probably wasn’t making specific predictions about 2025’s Governors Ball festival in New York, but that’s certainly what was in store for attendees Saturday (June 7), as heavy rain and possible thunder and lightning forced the fest to delay its Day Two start time by four hours.
As a result, headliner Olivia Rodrigo didn’t take the stage at Gov Ball until 9:35 p.m. ET — but the packed audience showed that few if any fans had been deterred by the bad weather and late start time. And along with her usual captivating set of heart-rending acoustic ballads and stomach-punching alt-rock riffers, Rodrigo had a surprise in store for those who’d stuck around with a Byrne guest appearance, as he came out to duet with the singer-songwriter on the Heads’ 1983 smash “Burning Down the House.”
After being introduced by a starstruck Rodrigo, Byrne — who could be seen earlier in the night checking out Feid’s performance at the Kiehl’s stage — emerged in an all-white outfit, covered by red overalls to match Rodrigo’s own two-piece getup. The two traded off lines throughout the always-incendiary new wave classic, and then Rodrigo joined Byrne in some of his signature on-stage moves — bending her knees, running in place, and generally looking his traditional combination of charmingly stilted and impossibly cool.
Watch Billboard video of the performance and the original song’s music video below, and check back for more Billboard coverage of Governors Ball all weekend.
The post “Olivia Rodrigo Brings Out David Byrne for Scorching ‘Burning Down the House’ (And Does Some of His Dance Moves) at Gov Ball” by Andrew Unterberger was published on 06/08/2025 by www.billboard.com