Bad Copy

Bright Eyes has officially finished their first tour in over a decade, supporting their comeback record, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was (2020). The tour was originally scheduled for 2020, but there was (still is) that whole COVID thing that ruined absolutely fucking everything for a while.

After the release of The People’s Key (2011), the group split ways. Singer/songwriter, Conor Oberst went on to release multiple solo albums including a phenomenal sophomore album of the Punk/Hardcore inspired band, Desaparecidos, and numerous collaboration projects such as Better Oblivion Community Center with Phoebe Bridgers. As a longtime fan of Bright Eyes and Oberst’s other projects, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him perform many times after Bright Eyes’ 2011 disbanding. Yet I never did see Bright Eyes until now. If you’re a Bright Eyes fan but lost track after their breakup, I strongly recommend diving into all the aforementioned projects. Oberst’s solo record, Upside Down Mountain (2014), might be a great place to start. It’s as well-written and well-produced as any Bright Eyes record.

“Fucking dinosaurs. Don’t tell us what to do with our fucking bodies. You have no idea what we’ve fucking been through.”

Hurray for the Riff Raff opened the show and I am SO GLAD they were on this leg of the tour, as Lisa (my wife and photographer) and I have been long time fans. Hurray for the Riff Raff has compiled quite the discography at this point, and I swear they just keep getting better. Alynda Segarra, the artist synonymous with the group name, is just an absolute monster presence with a phenomenal voice. Their performance of “Life on Earth,” the title track on their 2022 release, was equal parts intense and ethereal. They added a long musical prose of sorts where Segarra pontificated many examples of life on earth being long: “like childhood!” “Like resistance!” It was fucking beautiful. And her supporting musicians were so fabulously on-point. One of the benefits to catching bands toward the end of tour is that they’re often a well-oiled machine by the end of the tour, and your chances of getting a great performance are greatly improved. Or hell, maybe they’re just always that tight and locked into the zone.

Segarra got a resounding ovation when, between songs, she addressed the recent overturn of Roe v. Wade: “Fucking dinosaurs. Don’t tell us what to do with our fucking bodies. You have no idea what we’ve fucking been through.” Her indignation was palpable and sent chills through many a-spine, I’m sure. Life is on Earth is long, indeed!

Bright Eyes went big on production for this comeback tour. How many people were on the stage, you ask? I’m really not sure. Somewhere in the teens, maybe. Amazingly, three of the players sat out this show due to COVID, including core member, Mike Mogis. Oberst commented on the unordinary night saying he was bummed that we didn’t get to see Mogis play guitar. Yet with three members missing, there were still a lot of folks on that stage! Never did the music feel thin or incomplete. Most of the musicians compiled an orchestra of strings and brass, which was absolutely stunning. Hearing “I need a lover I don’t have to love” and other classics in their full musical glory was just epic.

For die-hard Bright Eyes fans, it was surely a delight that they played tunes from their entire catalog. Oberst’s banter is always pretty damn hilarious. When playing an early tune he said “this one is from a time called the ’90s. You may have read about it in a history book.” He made plenty of good cracks about his age, and also his music: “this next one is okay. I mean, it’s poppy so they can put it on the radio so, you know, whatever” and “I actually kinda like this next one.” He spoke about his music as if he were deciding which songs would make it on a record and which might be cut, which somehow made this huge production feel like an intimate experience.

Check out the full photo gallery by Lisa Gullo below!

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