ARTICLE BY JOELLE WAGNER
PHOTOS BY JAKE MA
AUG. 5 | WEST HOLLYWOOD—No matter what incarnation Conor Oberst’s troupe of supporting musicians presents itself, no matter what they call themselves, as long as Oberst is leading the way, fans are ready to go along for the ride. Tonight, his fans flocked to the Troubadour for live renditions of the songs from his recently released self-titled album, Conor Oberst.
Conor is all smiles from the moment he and his Mystic Valley Band take the stage. Sweet and responsive to the audience, he appears honored to be performing for the enthusiastic sold-out house. As a whole, the set is distinctly different from Oberst’s Bright Eyes material. The unique musical arrangements and raw fever that fleshed his records up through I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning are replaced with a more traditional country-folk flow, picking up where Cassadaga left off.
The angst-ridden Conor, who has always hidden behind sweeping locks of hair while vulnerably spilling his secrets to the microphone, is not the Conor on stage tonight. After turning out multiple albums inspired by struggle and despair, he seems to have finally reached a peaceful place.
Death is a theme in this new material, but it is not a bleak topic. The songs are thoughtful about the afterlife and the continuation of the soul. In “Danny Callahan,” Oberst sings, “The love he feels he carries inside can be passed.” Another theme is travel and constant movement. “Moab” highlights this with repeating chorus lyrics, “There’s nothing that the road cannot heal.” This country-folk song unites the crowd in a common sentiment, as does “NYC,” a zealous American roots tune to clap and stomp along to.
In the Dylan-esque “Get-Well-Cards,” Oberst comes closer than ever before to emulating the icon he is constantly likened to. The two acoustic songs from the new album (intimate and poetic “Cape Canaveral” and the soft, sweet plea to hangover antidote “Moon Thistle”) are especially wonderful spots in the set. Also quite moving are some unreleased pieces. “Gentleman’s Pact” a.k.a. “Smoke Signals” has earnestness reminiscent of early Bright Eyes but the lyrics reflect the Mystic Valley theme: “All that you keep is the journey. All that you keep are the spaces in-between.”
The encore was a joyful celebration of the evening, beginning with “Sun Down,” a number from the solo album of Mystic Valley Band guitarist Nik Freitas. Conor then returns to the mic for covers of “Corina, Corina,” “Everybody’s Talkin’” and his own “Lenders in the Temple.” The final song, “Breezy,” is a tender and achingly beautiful piece that speaks through vivid memories to a lost friend. Affecting lyrics, “You left us with a sorrow too unreal to help,” and a heartfelt climax at the end confirms Conor has not lost his ability to poignantly capture the beautiful, yet painful aspects of the human condition. Easily the most effective of the evening, this new song is admittedly very “Bright Eyes” and is also not on the Conor Oberst album.
Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band succeed in enveloping the audience within the world of harmony and simplicity they found in creating this album. It appears that whatever path Conor Oberst chooses to explore, he always manages to stumble upon the right people and experiences to fuel his prolific delivery of thoughtful and stunning music.
For more photos of this show, visit the Scenestar photo gallery.
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