 "Photo: Saddle Creek Records")
On the eve of the release of his two new albums, Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and friends stopped in at Harvard's Sanders Theater on Monday night to turn in a show that was equal parts cathartic, emotional, self-indulgent, and intense.
Touring in support of the folksy I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, Bright Eyes also brought along Tilly and the Wall and Coco Rosie to perform to a packed house.
Tilly and the Wall's performance was energetic and fun. The band's music was straightforward and earnest and recalls indie-pop stalwarts such as Beat Happening and Neutral Milk Hotel.
Most notably, its percussion was not provided by a drummer, but rather by tap dancer Jamie Williams. The set was mostly comprised of songs from its fine debut Wild Like Children (Team Love, 2004).
While Tilly and the Wall was obviously gimmicky, Coco Rosie took the gimmick shtick a bit too far.
The band is comprised of two sisters from France (Bianca and Sierra Casady), their friend on beat-box (who inexplicably donned an Indian head dress), and a large assortment of toy instruments. The group's sound can best be described as glitch-folk. And although several of the songs boasted beautiful melodies and showcased the strong operatic voice of Sierra Casady, Coco Rosie rarely went anywhere interesting.
Bright Eyes took the stage next to great applause and immediately launched into "At the Bottom of Everything," the first song off I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.
Touring with a six-man band of friends from his hometown of Omaha, Neb., Oberst played almost exclusively new material, including beautiful numbers such as "Poison Oak" and "Lua."
He did revisit a few old numbers; namely "Padraic My Prince" and "Bowl of Oranges." Onstage, Oberst was quiet and reserved, rarely acknowledging the audience's cheers.
While playing, though, he came alive, and moved about the stage with the confidence of a seasoned veteran.
The amount of hype and publicity that has been showered on the 25-year-old Oberst has been intense, but it is not without basis.
And while lazy journalists are quick to call him "the new Dylan," Monday's show proved beyond a doubt that Oberst is, and will continue to be, his own man.
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