Oberst still wowing crowd after 20 years of making music
It does not matter if you are woman, man or squirrel, Conor Oberst’s sad-boy lyrics and passionate singing are bound to make your heart melt.
In his 20th year of making music, Oberst is going as strong as ever with a new solo album, “Upside Down Mountain,” which was released in May. He made a stop in Austin to play Stubb’s on Sept. 20 with his most recent North American tour.
Jonathan Wilson, who produced Oberst’s newest album, opened the show with songs from his newest personal album, “Fanfare.” He did a stellar job of warming the crowd up with his psychedelic folk rock songs.
Oberst immediately connected with the crowd when he began his set with an upbeat version of his song, “Hundreds of Ways.”
Wilson, who headlined the show, also played guitar for Oberst’s whole set.
Along with songs from his new album, Oberst also played some fan-favorites from another of his bands, a solo project named “Bright Eyes.” This trip down memory lane included a sentimental rendition of “We Are Nowhere And It’s Now.”
He introduced “Old Soul Song (For the New World Order)” by pointing out the connection between the event in 2003 that inspired this song and the current militarization of local governments.
For “First Day of My Life,” Oberst played the piano, and it seemed there were very few dry eyes in the crowd.
After he left the stage shouts for an “encore” began, and soon Oberst and his band were back to finish the show with three more songs.
In the encore, he played a cover of “Pretty Good” by John Prine, one of his personal heroes. Oberst told the crowd he will be sharing a stage with Prine at one of his shows in Los Angeles next month.
Oberst encouraged the audience to support Wilson by going to the merchandise booth, “(skipping) the shirts and (buying) the music.”
Oberst and his band finished the show on a strong on a strong note and left the whole crowd wanting more.
Oberst is an excellent musician who has also puts on a great show. If you ever get the opportunity to see him live, you should definitely do it.
Follow Amber on Twitter @ambieheb2
