After taking a break as Bright Eyes in 2011, the trio of Conor Oberst (vocals/guitar/piano), Mike Mogis (guitar/lap steel/mandolin), and Nate Walcott (keys/trumpet) made their big return to not only performing as a band but also putting together their first album since that time – released in the midst of Covid – called Down In the Weeds, Where the World Once Was. But since things were, well, a little paused for all of 2020 and a good chunk of 2021, Bright Eyes was finally able to hit the road with a full eight piece band, crisscrossing the globe and landing in Charm City on Monday night to a completely packed Baltimore Soundstage.
You know it’s gonna be something special when you find yourself in a long line (quickly becoming longer) in the first cold spell of the season, waiting at least two hours before the show. But things certainly warmed up once Bright Eyes took the stage and kicked things into gear with “Dance and Sing” from their last album, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, a riotous starter that had Conor moving and spinning around like a whirling dervish while the stage, complete with drums, guitar, bass, violin, saxophone, keyboards, and a lap steel, seemed like a party in itself.
Getting into the groove early on in the set, Conor Oberst introduced the next song, “This song takes place in New York City in the year 2003″ as the band played “Old Soul Song (for the New World Order),” a country-tinged song from the opus I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning that bursts open as Conor thrashed about with his guitar.
“We made a record in 2020, and it turns out it was a bad year to put out a record,” Conor told the crowd. “We had a bunch of plans to go all around the world on a big tour, but it didn’t happen… and now we’re finally out and playing these concerts.”
Playing through a host of songs from throughout most of their catalog, Bright Eyes hit on some rare tunes I hadn’t heard in years past such as “If the Brakeman Turns My Way,” which Conor introduced as “This one’s about fate; if you believe in that sort of thing.”
Mentioning friend and fellow Omaha native, Simon Joyner, Bright Eyes performed “Double Joe.” By the way, one of the most underrated genius songwriters, Joyner has a way with words that’s on another level and in the hands of Bright Eyes it was quite a treat with saxophone, lap steel, and organs rounding out the sound.
As the band made its way through the setlist, you could tell they were having fun. Nearing the end of the regular set, the band played “Another Travelin’ Song” with its shuffling beat provided by Baltimore’s own Jon Theodore on drums along with trumpet, saxophone, piano and enough sweat to build an ark.
As Bright Eyes came back to the stage, Conor explained that these last few shows would be it for a while – a bittersweet ending to an amazing year that brought new music and a brilliant stage show into the world. And as they started the encore with “Spring Cleaning,” the band ended the night with “One for You, One for Me” Although things for this tour are coming to an end, I truly hope there is a lot more on the horizon.
The setlist included:
Dance and Sing
Lover I Don’t Have to Love
Old Soul Song (for the New World Order)
Mariana Trench
An Attempt to Tip the Scales
Jejune Stars
If the Brakeman Turns My Way
Falling Out of Love at This Volume
Double Joe (Simon Joyner cover)
Method Acting
I’ll Be Your Friend
Poison Oak
To Death’s Heart (in Three Parts)
Another Travelin’ Song
Easy/Lucky/Free
Encore:
Spring Cleaning
I Believe in Symmetry
One for You, One for Me
Take a look at more photos of Bright Eyes at the Baltimore Soundstage by David LaMason:
