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indie-snob>+!#
Bright eyes @ the vic (2-21-04)
With m. ward, jim james |
 Photo by Kylie Owen [[click]] from Pittsburg show on 2-22 It's gotten to the point where it's difficult for me to call Bright Eyes one of my favorite bands. I got to the show way early (maybe three hours before doors or something of the sort) and as I stood there, some girls walked past and whispered "eeeeemo" as they went down the block. And I realized: half the people at this show won't even understand the mystery that lies behind Bright Eyes, because, indeed, it is more than emo. As with any pop collective, Bright Eyes relies on layered complex melodies, each song a little different simply because the line-up of the band, not to mention Conor is a magnificent song writer. More humorously, though, while waiting outside, girls began to flock in front of the tour bus, and as Mike Mogis came out, they were slightly shooed away. Suddenly a hooded, sunglassed Oberst walked towards the door without one person noticing him. I, on the other hand, just laughed out loud at him. Honestly, how much more blatant could you be? The man has gotten so popular, he actually has do disguise himself. Frightening. But since this was "an evening of solo and collaborative performances", I was a bit unsure of what to expect. All I knew was that with three amazing songwriters like Conor Oberst, Matt Ward and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) together on tour was bound to be something magical. First out was M. Ward singing "Helicopter" in his gruff, raspy voice. And while it may remind me a bit more of Miles Davis than something that would have caused a slight battle between Saddle Creek and Merge for a contract, M. Ward's voice is unexpectedly delightful. His deep voice is somehow both dark and quite elegant. It gives such a unique tone to his already stellar guitar picking that despite the commonality of folk artists, M. Ward stands out. Soon, Jim James came out to join Ward, and as hard as it may be to contrive as stark a contrast to Ward, James comes quite close. His long blonde hair and soft, sweet voice floats softly and gives a much more traditional folk croon than Ward. But this contrast made their collaboration all the more interesting. Conor and Mike Mogis came out to join the other men on stage for the full-on collaboration, which signaled the end of Ward's solo performances and into Jim James' own. Occasionally, the other musicians would come out to add a second guitar or another voice or do something to help. But largely, James' solo set was left untouched from other influences, and the My Morning Jacket songs sounded far more lovely than when I saw them a couple years ago opening for Beth Orton. I found it far easier to enjoy Jim James' solo work rather than the droning influence of the band. But soon, the main attraction came out. It was Conor in his full sweatered glory. The man stood directly in front of me (front row center, holla!), his spit flying onto my forehead as he slurred and shouted his words. The evening's set consisted of the more easily guitar interpreted songs. Some of the most beautiful songs of the evening were due to Mike Mogis' input on pedal steel, easily my favorite instrument, giving Conor's songs a much more authentic folk feel rather than the drunken glory they sometimes adopt on the albums. However, there wasn't a whole lot of album representation at the show. Conor played his best b-sides ("Soon You'll Be Leaving Your Man"), his best unreleased work ("Train Underwater," "The Trees Get Wheeled Away" and "First Day of My Life") and basically, all the best songs you've never heard. I loved the set, maybe because I'm a Bright Eyes freak and was familiar with it all. However, 95% of the people at the show hated, and I do mean HATED Conor's set. It was quiet, reserved, but ultimately breath taking. There were no loud freak-outs on guitar or out of control moments. I think the most exciting moment was during "Laura Laurent," easily one of the more forgotten tracks off of Lifted. The whole night I had been standing looking straight up at Conor in my Tilly and the Wall shirt (the band he is excellent friends with and records for) mouthing along to every single one of his songs, until suddenly, the chorus of the song broke out and Conor held the microphone to my mouth. He looked at me, raised his brow and smiled. I told him I didn't know the words and my friend took over as Conor collapsed on stage right next to me. On my coat. But do you know what the chorus is? "La la la la la la la la." But that's okay, because I was giggling like a 12 year old girl anyway. The only two commonly recognized and appreciated songs of the night were "Waste of Paint" and "One Foot in Front of the Other," the only two songs the majority of people I knew at the show had any familiarity with. (Although us front row kids knew it all. Scary? Yes.) Closing, all together, with a cover of "Girl from the North Country", each vocalist took a verse as their voices echoed together during the chorus. Slightly less magical than it could have been, it was such a wonderful way to hear what all of these musicians had in common, even though their styles are all so very different. They share a love of song craft and their own unique ways of putting it all together. It was honestly amazing. Knowing that Conor "chose me" has easily been my best rock star moment in history. It did fall a step short of perfect, but each musician was individually amazing and together, it was all the better. To some extent, I feel like I appreciated the Bright Eyes rock show a lot more, but I think this was a far more amazing show. The room was so quiet (except for one asshole yelling that he loved his girlfriend the entire time, even Conor was making fun of him); everything just felt so wonderful. Such a high. You west coast people are getting a treat this autumn if you are going. Grade (overall): A(+-ish)
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