conor oberst // neumo’s // 30 july 2008

When I arrived at Neumo’s, late, for Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band the club was already a sweatbox, the band was well into their set, and Oberst had already shed his button-down in favor of a t-shirt. Aside from the swampy climate and the crowd of adoring fans, the main thing I noticed was how loose and comfortable the band seemed together. I’ve seen plenty of Bright Eyes shows and regardless of their configuration or venue — from solo performances, to blue tuxedoes and backup musicians, to near orchestras — they always had a sense of being meticulously planned, even down to the mistakes. This is not to say that within the framework of really good shows there wasn’t plenty of emotional connection or authentic sentiment, but this seemed like an entirely different sort of creature.

There, on the smallish stage, the six guys seemed a lot like a band having fun, playing music, and figuring things out as they rolled along the dusty trail of a tour. The songs, recorded in a Mexican mountain villa this winter, felt less grand in their ambitions compared to Oberst’s recent output yet resonated with the audience who had only a week or two of internet streaming for the sake of familiarity. The thoroughly appreciative crowd remained captivated throughout, barely thinning as the long set delighted for nearly an hour and a half. When it came time for an encore, Conor handed the microphone over for one song and alternated between backup vocals, guitar, and autographing records thrust up from the front rows. I was glad to have my first experience with their new album be a live performance, especially since the engineer on the side of the stage appeared to be working constantly to make sure that every detail sounded great. After that introduction, I’m definitely looking forward to some time with it in my earphones. It arrives in U.S. record stores on Tuesday. [merge]