NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - By coincidence, Gary Bartig designed the five-string violin David Byrne's musical director had used for nearly 20 years.

‘Closest instrument to the human voice’

Local perspective:

Bartig has been playing the violin for more than 50 years and designing them for about 20 through his company, Acoustic Electric Strings.

But he never imagined one of his instruments would come to the rescue of a pop music icon.

"It was the furthest thing from anything I could imagine on a Monday afternoon, just doom-scrolling, you know, for a few minutes in the afternoon," said Bartig.

‘I was happy to help him’

The backstory:

On Monday, Bartig received a Facebook message from a member of the stage crew at the Orpheum Theater, where Byrne was going to perform that night.

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