Conor Oberst, the mastermind behind the indie sensation Bright Eyes, has always been a prominent do-it-yourself figure after founding Saddle Creek records as a teenager. Oberst and Saddle Creek have come a long way since recording in his basement with his father's four-track, and the jam-packed 9:30 club Monday night represented that perfectly.
Despite the torrent of obnoxious comments from the crowd to which he's likely accustomed, Oberst was a shining face with a newly overgrown head of hair. As soon as the initial roar of applause died down, an equally deafening roar rose from fans calling out favorite tracks from Bright Eyes' 10-plus album discography, such as "Lover I Don't Have to Love," "Poison Oak" and "Bowl of Oranges." However, Oberst would have none of such pleas and dove headfirst into a foreign yet strangely familiar musical sea.
The night was awash with new material, as Bright Eyes has two new releases in the immediate and distant future: a six-song EP titled "Four Winds" which was released this week, and the full length "Cassadaga," which will be released in April. Bright Eyes' last album, 2005's "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning," was decidedly folkier than his earlier records, which tended to dwell primarily in edgy, acoustic based pop. Judging by these new songs, Oberst seems to be content with the Bob Dylan comparisons he's garnered as of late; he even pulls a distinctly Dylanesque propped harmonica/acoustic guitar combination. He obviously has chosen to stroll a little further down this folk path, and the songs benefit as a result.
This time around, Oberst chose an interesting group of specimens to share the road with. Opening acts Wooden Wand and McCarthy Trenching were quite talented without being overshadowing
Although Oberst could easily keep Bright Eyes afloat on the big 9:30 club stage with just a microphone and an acoustic guitar, to achieve Bright Eyes' true musical potential he needs a bit more. During this tour, Oberst's backing band consisted of a tight crew of musicians, including two guitarists (one of which was more than a bit tipsy and entertained the crowd with the same punch line-lacking joke twice), a bassist, a drummer and an organist/trumpet player. Yet the most notable musician on-stage by far besides Oberst was a violinist, who shredded like a hollow-wood Jimi Hendrix. He twisted and rocked around his violin like he was a lead guitarist, which resulted in some quite exiting sounds.
In a good number of songs from the new Bright Eyes new releases, this violinist played melodies quite uncommon for western music, at times leaning toward Oriental and Middle Eastern stylings. This alternate element added some fabulous spice to some already delectable songs. The recorded version should prove quite an exciting contrast to Bright Eyes' usual style, as it will probably be recorded with a full string section. It would certainly behoove Oberst to include this particular violinist on the recorded version, as he adds quite a bit to the songs.
One gripe with the performance was that Oberst appeared to have a mic with a personal speaker attached to it, providing as much unnecessary feedback as possible. His acoustic guitar had a similar problem. It's unclear if this was a problem with the band's equipment or with 9:30's sound system.
Otherwise, it was a top-quality performance that showed a lot of potential for upcoming Bright Eyes releases. Whether Oberst capitalizes on the snippets of zest that made this concert so intriguing or stays true to the sound he's honed over the years, whatever he ends up putting on tape is bound to be classic.
