Bright Eyes

Given the lo-fi and intimate nature characterizing the music of Bright Eyes one might wonder how they can deliver an hour and half set without tiring the audience. This is truly a naive misconception. Their live performances are delivered with such potent emotional resonance and directness that the audience is left begging for more. At the Atlanta Tabernacle show during "The People's Key Tour" some fans were so ecstatic after the performance they nearly did a flip over the railing to grab a setlist.
The music of Bright Eyes also goes so much further than the lo-fi folk stigma attached to them. They have proven themselves to be dextrous and eclectic musicians crossing in to several disparate genres. "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" saw them channeling the synth-pop and dark wave sound championed by their contemporaries and fellow label mates The Faint. After all Conor Oberst was in the band Commander Venus with the group's lead singer Todd Fink well before the existence of either one of their current bands. Their 2007 album Casadaga takes a completely different approach stylistically to "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn" and a turn production wise comparative to their early recordings. It is a lush Country album filled with well defined instrumentation, but juxtaposed by Oberst's signature cutting lyrics. The setlist of a Bright Eyes show is sure to have the stripped down folk ballads written on the hearts of every diehard fan, but it is not lacking in the "more fun" nevertheless sardonic pop hits like "Four Winds" and "Lover I Don't Have to Love".
Though the genre of emo has been triumphed, abused and often rejected by the very people to whom it was first applied, it seems without a doubt appropriately attributed to the music of Bright Eyes. These "emo" shows are particularly enjoyable to go to because the entire audience seems to mutually offer their souls as a sacrifice to the performing band. Practically the whole venue knew all the lyrics at the Bright Eyes show I was attending and some of the fans were so emotionally invested in the performance they started to tear their hair out during the song "Road to Joy".
Despite presiding stigmas attached to bands such as Bright Eyes it is safe to say there are no dull moments at their shows. Judging from their lyrics they may seem like a band who take themselves too serious, but these preconceived notions vanish upon seeing them. Oberst is constantly cracking jokes and engages the audience in witty banter. Band members Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott have their performance down to a science playing with amazing precision and feeling, making for an unforgettable show.