To many in the music scene, Conor Oberst is a hero. Love him or hate him, the guy does have a way with words. And despite the frequent comparisons to Bob Dylan, Oberst is versatile and more than a rehash of Dylan. I guess you could say that with projects that have ranged from Desaparecidos to Bright Eyes to the Mystic Valley Band, he is a man of many hats…or at least one very large, Amish looking one.
Oberst recently played the Beaumont Club in Kansas City in support of his sophomore release with the Mystic Valley band, and despite some less than toneful or interesting openers, the crowd was excited for their music god. However, depending on what you came to the Beaumont Club for that night, you either loved or hated that show.
If you were strictly a fan of Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, than you probably enjoyed the show. Backed by some amazing musicians such as Nik Freitas and Nate Wolcott, it was hard to be disappointed by the tight musicianship. They faithfully played through MVB hits with record quality.
However, if you were there as a Bright Eyes fan or even a fan of Oberst’s legendary stage antics, you more than likely bailed early. Or perhaps, you stuck around for the encore, still desperate for a Bright Eyes song before you left disappointed. Oberst made it more than clear that the projects are separate, so stay away from this tour if you were hoping for some Wide Awake or Digital Ash to make its way into the encore.
As for his antics, Oberst’s stage personality was lacking this show. I’ve seen videos where he drunkenly gave away guitars or other shows where he gave mini guitar lessons. For this performance, he hid behind his large, Amish-looking hat that kept his face in shadows the entire show (and makes it downright impossible to get a decent picture of the guy, hence the lack of photos). At the most, he would mumble a dedication in between songs to some random group: “This one goes out to all the pathological liars tonight.”
I would like to think this was just an off night or because this was the first time I had seen an Oberst performance outside of his hometown of Omaha, and I would hate to think that Oberst is one of those musicians that can’t be enjoyed sober, but there was just something dull about this whole evening.
Set List:
Sausalito
Nikkorette
Ten Women
Slowly, Oh So Slowly
Air Mattress
Eagle on A Post
Moab
Spoiled
Lenders in the Temple
Big Black Nothing
One of My Kind
Worldwide
Cape Canaveral
NYC — Gone, Gone
Souled Out!!!
I Got The Reason
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White Shoes
Danny Callahan
I Don’t Wanna Die (In a Hospital)
Conor Oberst: website | myspace
