Bright Eyes @ The Walt Disney Concert Hall

There's nothing better than fine music performed within equally fine architecture. In a rare, none LAphil night at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, kids between the ages of 14-30 flocked, for what I can only imagine was their first time, into Frank Gehry's gorgeous car wreck of a structure, to see Bright Eyes debut his new work - Cassadaga. What's most amazing about the Hall, is the dichotomy between the cold metal exterior panels, and the soothing and gentle wood work within the building. The large concert hall is nothing short of a musical sanctuary

Perched high above the side of the stage, I was left to absorb every aspect of the architecture, music and crowd. White curtains were hung high in the corners of the room, and lit with deep blue lights to create a permanent twilight effect. The band, 10 strong, were dressed in pure white and surrounded by a stage full of flowers. And to top off the visual bliss, a projector featuring real time video, dowsed the band with a swirling array of lights.

Cassadaga seems to be the first enigmatic Bright Eyes release I've come across. Part of me just means it's slightly bland, but the other part wants to witness what Conor is on the cusp of creating. The set was predominantly taken from the new LP, but of course the only song missing happens to be my favorite - "I Must Belong Somewhere." Oh well, I've seen him perform it twice, so I guess I'm just getting greedy.

On the album, "If the Brakeman Turns My Way" and "Clairaudients" lacked traction in my brain, which has never been an issue with the other 139 Bright Eyes songs I have on my itunes; however, the live performance opened up more life in the songs. "Four Winds" is a classic Conor and Mike tune that stays trapped in my body for days - omniscient narrator, twanging country flair and quivering vocals give it the full package. Older songs like "False Advertising" and tracks off I'm Wide Awake ("Lua" and "First Day of My Life") kept the night well rounded. The band was tighter than ever and the songs sounded beautiful throughout -leaving Natalie and I skipping all the way to the car.

From the Saddle Creek site:

[mp3] Bright Eyes - Four Winds

[mp3] Bright Eyes - No One Would Riot For Less





















Photos @ Soma by: Braedon

Six years later Bright Eyes returns to the El Rey

(photo cred: P-fork)

"Sometimes I love country music, and other times I fucking hate it. It doesn't matter though, because I'm going for a surfer look now."
- Conor Oberst

There are two truths in the statement above: Country music has a tendency to be polarized between beautifully iconic and painfully nauseating; Conor Oberst can achieve anything he puts his heart and mind into - if he wants to be a surfer, he'll end up a surfer. I spoke of a similar love/hate for country in my Four Winds review, and said that Conor seemed to be moving towards alt-country. Now I'd just say that Bright Eyes holds a genre unto his own. The justification for my latter statement took shape after witnessing Bright Eyes play what might be the best show of 2007 (until the Cassadaga tour of course). The 90 minute, air tight, arena ready, all out assault showcased a batch of new songs, old songs, b-sides and a cover that left my jaw on the floor and my ears in the sky. Hyperbole? These are just the plain facts.

I was a bit nervous coming into the show, after reading Pitchfork's mediocre review of his performance in Chicago. They spoke of a "lumber(ing)" 15 song set, where "everybody settled comfortably into a languid country-rock pace." Whether that was true or not in Chicago, Bright Eyes delivered nothing but overflowing energy at the El Rey. I knew there was nothing to worry about after only the first song, "I Must Belong Somewhere" - a favorite of mine from the I'm Wide Awake tour. Lyrically, the song is a high water mark in Conor's career: "Leave the old town drunk on his wooden stool /Leave the autumn leaves in the swimming pool / Leave the poor black child in his crumbling school today." Even the b-sides off Four Winds EP gained new life on stage.

Conor talked about how he played the El Rey in 2001, solo, and didn't say a word to the audience the entire set. Now in 2007, Conor is the leader of one of the most talented six/seven piece bands around, is able to keep the audience in awe of every note he plays, and has a captivating fire that keeps him striving. The worst part about it, is that he's only three years older than me. God I hate that guy. Well, not really.


[mp3] Bright Eyes - I Must Belong Somewhere (live)

[mp3] Bright Eyes - Four Winds (EP version)


Cassadaga is being released on April 10th, and Bright Eyes will be on tour for the next few months:

03/16 London, England - Koko
03/18 Oxford, England - Brookes University Student Union
03/22 Oslo, Norway - Cosmopolite
03/24 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
03/26 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
03/27 Cologne, Germany - Gloria
03/30 Paris, France - Cafe de la Danse
03/31 Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Melkweg
04/22 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
04/23 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
04/24 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre
04/25 Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
04/26 Omaha, NE - Holland Performing Arts Center
04/28 Denver, CO - Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
04/29 Salt Lake City, UT - Kingsbury Hall
05/01 Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
05/02 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
05/04 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre
05/05 Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theatre
05/06 Los Angeles, CA - Walt Disney Concert Hall
05/08 San Diego, CA - SOMA
05/09 Tempe, AZ - Mesa Amphitheatre
05/11 Dallas, TX - Palladium Ballroom
05/12 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
05/13 Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall
05/14 New Orleans, LA - Republic
05/16 Tampa, FL - Tampa Theatre
05/17 Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
05/18 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
05/19 Nashville, TN - Ryman Audiotorium
05/20 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center for the Arts
05/21 Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
05/22 Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
05/24 Boston, MA - Wang Center for the Performing Arts
05/25 New York, NY - Town Hall
05/26 New York, NY - Town Hall
05/28 New York, NY - Town Hall
05/29 New York, NY - Town Hall
05/30 New York, NY - Town Hall
05/31 New York, NY - Town Hall
06/01 New York, NY - Town Hall

Bright Eyes - Four Winds EP

I don't envy Conor Oberst right now. After creating a national stir in 2005, generating cries of "the new Bob Dylan" as well as "shitty emo pity party," his forthcoming, and now imminent LP, Cassadaga, holds a lot of career weight for the (now) New Yorker. No one knew what chemicals Conor had been mixing back at the lab, until finally he gave the world a taster scoop with Four Winds EP.

Outside of the opening title track, the Four Winds EP is made up of b-sides from the Cassadaga recordings, and unfortunately it ends up playing like a jumbled collection of lost songs. While Four Winds sticks pretty close to I'm Wide Awake in sound, Conor seems to be moving towards alt-country in his delivery. While I mostly cringe at the term "alt-country," Bright Eyes is able to pull it off with a sound similar to My Morning Jacket. However, seeing that Jim James has a guest spot on the album, this is no great revelation.

"Four Winds," the title track, is the obvious standout, and brings new hope to Cassadaga that the "Endless Entertainment" leak had mildly shaken. It's a well crafted tune with a foot tapping beat and patent Oberst lyrics (which I love - for the record).

You can buy the EP on March 6th. It's definitely worth the 4 or 5 dollars for "Four Winds," and another gem called "Cartoon Blues."

[www] Bright Eyes - Four Winds

Cassadaga Tracklist:
01 Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed)
02 Four Winds
03 If the Brakeman Turns My Way
04 Hot Knives
05 Make a Plan to Love Me
06 Soul Singer in a Session Band
07 Classic Cars
08 Middleman
09 Cleanse Song
10 No One Would Riot for Less
11 Coat Check Dream Song
12 I Must Belong Somewhere
13 Lime Tree

Tour Dates:
02/27 Toronto, Ontario - Opera House
02/28 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre
03/02 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03/03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
03/05 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03/07 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
03/08 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
03/09 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
03/10 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
03/11 Seattle, WA - Showbox
03/22 Oslo, Norway - Compolite
03/24 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
03/26 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
03/27 Cologne, Germany - Gloria
03/30 Paris, France - Cafe de la Danse
03/31 Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Melkweg