On Wednesday night at the old and intimate Somerville Theatre just outside of Boston, Bright Eyes played perhaps the most awkward show I have ever been to. And it was awesome. At one point early in the show frontman Conor Oberst goes, "Somebody told me the other day that I wasn't a good entertainer. So I'm trying harder to entertain. How am I doing?" And then he did a weird little jig followed by some kind of ballet twirl to a confused smattering of applause from about half the audience. Oh Conor. You're such an uncomfortable, pale and skinny indie kid, but you're so endearing. All the little girls thought so, too.
The band, enriched immensely by the presence of M. Ward , was really tight and Conor was really loose, as in, he actually talked to the crowd and seemed like he was enjoying himself. The last time I saw them, Oberst was wasted and kind of hostile to anyone who yelled anything so this was definitely different. The 27 year old singer, who's been recording since he was 13, has definitely grown up. The show had a decidedly country-twang bent that only M Ward lightened. He's great. His voice really transports you to some other place--I'm not sure exactly where but it's eerie and trippy. The set drew heavily on 2005's I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and new material from Four Winds and Cassadaga. Conor's "beautiful band" included Rachel Blumberg rocking out on drums, long-time Bright Eyes members Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott and others. When M. Ward came out about half-way through, the sound immediately became richer and more interesting. We missed his opening set because I always get lost driving in Boston and we were hungry, but we got to hear some of his new songs towards the end of the Bright Eyes set when they did some beautiful collaborations. I liked some of M Ward's hypnotic, critically acclaimed Post-War, but ultimately found it a little boring and repetitive. With Bright Eyes (who he previously joined on the Vote for Change shows), however, M. Ward is a perfect addition.
Oberst mixed a little bit of politics into the newly mature show, introducing "Old Soul Song" as "Mission Accomplished," playing on the song's lyrics about the huge anti-war protest in New York in 2004. Mostly though, it was about the music. Four Winds and some of the other new tunes sounded particularly rich. Sadly, though, the crowd in this amazing venue was pretty lame, lame, lamo...Oberst was alternately kind of patronizing and then really earnest and sincere. At one point he asked, "Are you guys bored? You guys are bored. I can tell. See, whenever I go to shows or something, I'll get bored. But then when I get home, I'll want to be there again because I'll be bored. So you guys remember that when you're at home tonight, bored, and looking at a boyfriend you don't like anymore." The crowd sat through the whole show until the encore, responded weakly to great performances and weird banter from the stage and yelled the stupidest shit: lots of "I lovvvvvvvveeeeeeeee you, CONOR!!!", and song requests included "Happy Birthday to Chris" and "Girl From North County Fair" (which actually would have been fitting and cool since it's my favorite Dylan song ever).
When the band came back on for the encore, Oberst said, "You guys are the best. You make me feel like Dolly Parton. Or Willie Nelson. Or somebody legitimate, at least." This statement gives you some insight into where Bright Eyes is drawing their inspiration these days. The highlights were a cover of John Prine's "Crazy As a Loon" and the finale when Conor came out into the crowd singing "Laura Laurent." He was mobbed by the teenie-boppers as he sang out of breath and out of key and then let the girls take over. It was pretty funny watching the tech guys trying to keep up with the band moving all over the stage, knocking down mic stands and getting tangled in wires. I guess they haven't grown up all that much.
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