Review: Oberst's rants hurt Bright Eyes' Ridglea show
02:36 AM CST on Wednesday, February 9, 2005
By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH â?? Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst has become the sultan of scattershot â?? putting out a country-folk album and a synth-pop CD on the same day last month.
So it was no surprise to see him shooting wildly from the hip Monday during his sold-out show at the Ridglea Theater. But at times, the bullets hit too close to home.
The 24-year-old singer started on a familiar path, peppering the show with between-song rants against the war in Iraq and President Bush. But as the night wore on and he drained yet another bottle of beer, Mr. Oberst turned surly.
"I don't know if you know this, but I hate your [expletive] state," he blurted. "I'd put a [expletive] gun to my head before I'd live in your state."
It was one of those rare moments when an audience doesn't know how to respond. Do you laugh? Boo? Cheer? Most fans reacted with awkward silence.
Later, he claimed he was only joking and tried to cushion the insult by naming Texans he admires, including Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and comedian Bill Hicks. But he couldn't leave the Texas bashing alone.
"If you came to this show tonight, you're not a normal Texan," he said after another long chug of beer. "If you were a normal Texan, you'd probably be roping steers and raping Indians."
Maybe it was all in jest â?? a bad attempt to impersonate Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. But Mr. Oberst's rants put a damper on what otherwise was a thrilling concert.
At times, things teetered on the edge of boozy chaos, especially during the show closer, "Road to Joy," when a roadie had to hold up trumpeter Nate Walcott so he didn't fall on his face.
But mostly, Mr. Oberst worked subtle magic with songs from I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning, the folkier of his two new albums. He proved his knack for simple melodies and bold lyrics on "Lua," a lullaby about drugs, fame and living in New York City. Even better was "Land Locked
Blues," one of the most stirring peace ballads written in years. Fans tried to croon along to "Blues," but Mr. Oberst stopped them as soon as they began.
"The whole singing-along thing is kind of a bummer," he said, after halting the tune. "It makes me feel like Dashboard Confessional."
Then he finished the tune and treated fans to a rarity, "When the President Talks to God," a Dylan-style folk ballad that was funny, smart and concise â?? everything his between-song tirades were not.
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