oberst in retrospect

ive been a mild fan of Bright Eyes for a few years... i guess like half a decade now. Conor Oberst is an incredible if emo songwriter. being one who has a dorkish love of language, im amazed by the way he says things. he is a true wordsmith. he follows a poetic tradition in saying volumes in a few simple lines. he can make you mind run for hours with lines like 'the whole loves you if youre a chic chameleon.'

so monday night, finally having the chance to see him live, i was admittedly a bit giddy. he had rolled through on tours before under the Bright Eyes name, but i either couldnt make it or was too poor to afford it. but this time it was Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band in a small venue with affordable tickets. and he didnt disapoint. but, first, lets give the opening acts their due.

first came Rig-1, this wierd hip hop group. but it was an emcee, a guy with a guitar that he played maybe six notes on and primarily pushed play on the computer supplying the beats, and a bassist. i enjoyed the first few songs, and the emcee's delivery was good, but i was really distracted by the guitar non-player. and as the set went on, it all blended together. all in all, not a bad act, but rather monotonous. they would do better to get a guitar player and a dj and brach out beyond the Garage Band beats.

next came The Felice Brothers. holy wow, they are good. you just cant mess with well executed home grown music, no matter the genre. these guys worked it out with the usual guitar, drums, bass combo, but threw in an accordian and a fiddle for good measure and a washboard in a couple of songs to bring home the flok factor. i am still unsure as to how to classify these guys. some songs were super folky, others were stright up rock with the addition of the accordian. anyway, it was hard not to get moving. they were so genuine, so real, and so good, that even the most uptight of hipsters(who tend to populate the d.c. music scene) were scene tapping their toes. and people like me, who forget to be self concious when the music is playing were bouncing off their neighbors and apppologizing during the breaks between songs.

and finaly Conor and the MVB came on. it was everything i could have hoped for. but i would like to start by remarking on how much of a rock star Conor is. i had assumed that he would be the type to shy away from the spotlight, stand back, and sing his songs. but to the contrary, he was front and center, with his hop-step swagger. he jumped up on the drum riser, at times i thought he might try to climb the drums. he didnt have the swagger of Jack White or Augie, but he carried the show like they might, all the while sharing the spotlight with his band mates and allowing them to shine.

as for the set, it was good, but i had hoped to hear some Bright Eyes tunes. i was not surprised that they didnt play any, but a bit disapointed. i really would have loved to have heard 'something vague' and 'well whiskey.' at any rate, the set came together really nicely. when he played 'cape canaveral' i got goosebumps all over. it was really moving. and really good. the execution of the show was pretty flawless, which is not really surprising since they guy has been at it since he was in middle school.

i think 'sausalito' and 'moab' are probably the most catchy songs on his most recent release, and they definitely got the crowd going. and being song i enjoy, got me forgetting to take pictures as i had wanted. but i did catch a few, which i hope to post over the weekend. but my favorite song on the album was also my favorite of the show: 'i dont wan to die (in the hospital).' i just love the dark subject with the uptempo rock feel of the song. and it hits home for me, because i spent 10 days in the hospital once and at times thought i might not see the outside world again. i dont want to die in the hospital. as performers do, he mixed up the song a bit. here is a point of contention with me. Conor pulled it off flawlessly, as have the Raconteurs, Okkervil River, and the Hard Lessons. but it doesnt allways come off so nicely. i once saw Rancid totally destroy an extended version of''ruby soho' which was a bit surprising, because they tend to be a stellar live band. anyway, its a risky move. the fans know and love the album version, so mixing it up can prove to be a disapointment. but if you have the chops to pull it off, it makes that great song even better.

in the end i was really happy with the show. ive heard that at times when Conor isnt feeling it, he puts on a terrible show. he was obviously feeling it as the show was great. he was full of energy and kicked beer bottles and threw a stool out of his way. more of a rock star that i was expecting from the guy who wrote 'make a plan to love me.' i dont think i could have asked for a better performance, perhaps a slightly tweaked set list, but all things considered, it was a great way to spend a dreary monday night in the district and well worth the ticket price.

so Rig-1 was so-so, The Felice Brothers we fantastic, and Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band were on point.