Somerville Theatre, Somerville, MA Feb 29, 2004 By Carina
A night of acoustic solo and collaborative performances by Conor Oberst aka Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and M Ward, and what a night it was! It was the last show off the tour and had been sold out for weeks. What a way to end it, at the indescribably beautiful Somerville theatre in Massachusetts.
The rotating cast took the shape of three different bands over the course of the event, each offering a special contribution to the evening’s ever-evolving landscape. M. Ward passed the time with his unquestionable intensity and contented classically trained guitarist talent. His influences proved to be all over the gambit, the set list included a hauntingly astonishing version of David Bowie’s "Let’s Dance". Bright Eyes is one of my favorite bands - and with each new release I am further pulled in by Conor Oberst’s musical genius. The lyrics of broken poetry tell truths and fairy tales, all culminating to the same end — leaving the listener speechless, uneasy, and comforted all at once. The purposeful words are set to marching-basement melodies that singer-songwriter types, garage bands and midi-keyboard operators should aspire to. He sings like he has been through hell - painfully, honestly, mournfully. His lyrics are amazingly insightful, heartwrenching and brutally honest.
There was also a surprise guest appearance from fellow Saddle-Creek label band Azure Ray's, Maria Taylor. As a final note, my personal highlight of the evening was when Conor jumped off stage and walked up to the front row (where I happen to be sitting), and came right in front of me and ended up singing most of “Laura Laurent” from my lap. A five star evening, for certain.
