glowah
04/27/07, 02:23 AM
I just saw Bright Eyes perform at the Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha, NE 4.26.07. McCarthy Trenching and Oakley Hall opened. The openers were okay, but not that remarkable. I found it a little easier to get into Oakley Hall's set than McCarthy Trenching because it was a little more energetic.
Bright Eyes mostly performed songs off of the new cd, Cassadega. The set list was as follows:
1. Clairaudients - Kill or Be Killed
2. Hot Knives
3. Make a Plan
4. Middleman
5. False Advertising
6. Soul Singer
7. No One Would Riot
8. First Day of My Life
9. Classic Cars
10. Cleanse Song
11. Symmetry
12. Lime Tree
------------------
Goldmine Gutted
Four Winds
Road to Joy
Bright Eyes entered the stage in all-white. The stage was adorned with fake flowers and had three screens, which had various images (mostly paint drop designs) projected on them throughout hte show. Conor was accompanied by many instrumentalists. Aside from the typical bass, guitar, and drum-set up, there were also two cellists, two violinists, an oboeist/saxists, a flautist, and multiple drummers and keyboardists. This set-up was especially nice to have on songs like Make a Plan to Love Me. Out of all the instrumentalists, the principal violinist was perhaps the most amazing to watch. On several songs, he would take a more prominent place on the stage to perform. He had flawless techinque and rocked out without missing a beat. My only criticism of him was that it took him awhile to warm up to the audience and really get into his part.
Actually, this is my main criticism for the entire night. All of the musicians, Conor included, seemed to have a hard time reaching the audience. I don't know if was the fault of the band for not talking to the crowd enough or if it was the audience's attitude. The venue seemed to contribute immensely to this problem. As lovely as the Holland Center is, it was not really an appropriate outlet for a rock concert. It definately is catered to the symphony or opera type of audience. Since the show was seated, the audience seemed confused about what was appropriate for them to do. A few brave fans tried to stand for the entire show, but most seemed confused as to whether or not they were even allowed to sing along.
Near to the end of Bright Eyes's set, the audience had enough with the seats. In a matter of seconds, it was mass chaos and fans left their seats and rushed the stage. The poor theater employees didn't even know what to do as more audience members filled the aisles. In my opinion, this is exactly what the show needed. The audience and the band finally found a connection and the overall performance improved as the energy in the hall increased. As a result, Symmetry through the encore produced the best performances of the night. The encore was phenomenal-the show was worth it just to hear Four Winds live. Road to Joy was also great live and the band went into a long improvisational section right before the "I could have been a famous singer" line. During that time, Conor also handed out flowers from the stage scenery to the audience.
The show was slow to get going, but by the end of the night ended up being an amazing and memorable Bright Eyes experience.
Bright Eyes mostly performed songs off of the new cd, Cassadega. The set list was as follows:
1. Clairaudients - Kill or Be Killed
2. Hot Knives
3. Make a Plan
4. Middleman
5. False Advertising
6. Soul Singer
7. No One Would Riot
8. First Day of My Life
9. Classic Cars
10. Cleanse Song
11. Symmetry
12. Lime Tree
------------------
Goldmine Gutted
Four Winds
Road to Joy
Bright Eyes entered the stage in all-white. The stage was adorned with fake flowers and had three screens, which had various images (mostly paint drop designs) projected on them throughout hte show. Conor was accompanied by many instrumentalists. Aside from the typical bass, guitar, and drum-set up, there were also two cellists, two violinists, an oboeist/saxists, a flautist, and multiple drummers and keyboardists. This set-up was especially nice to have on songs like Make a Plan to Love Me. Out of all the instrumentalists, the principal violinist was perhaps the most amazing to watch. On several songs, he would take a more prominent place on the stage to perform. He had flawless techinque and rocked out without missing a beat. My only criticism of him was that it took him awhile to warm up to the audience and really get into his part.
Actually, this is my main criticism for the entire night. All of the musicians, Conor included, seemed to have a hard time reaching the audience. I don't know if was the fault of the band for not talking to the crowd enough or if it was the audience's attitude. The venue seemed to contribute immensely to this problem. As lovely as the Holland Center is, it was not really an appropriate outlet for a rock concert. It definately is catered to the symphony or opera type of audience. Since the show was seated, the audience seemed confused about what was appropriate for them to do. A few brave fans tried to stand for the entire show, but most seemed confused as to whether or not they were even allowed to sing along.
Near to the end of Bright Eyes's set, the audience had enough with the seats. In a matter of seconds, it was mass chaos and fans left their seats and rushed the stage. The poor theater employees didn't even know what to do as more audience members filled the aisles. In my opinion, this is exactly what the show needed. The audience and the band finally found a connection and the overall performance improved as the energy in the hall increased. As a result, Symmetry through the encore produced the best performances of the night. The encore was phenomenal-the show was worth it just to hear Four Winds live. Road to Joy was also great live and the band went into a long improvisational section right before the "I could have been a famous singer" line. During that time, Conor also handed out flowers from the stage scenery to the audience.
The show was slow to get going, but by the end of the night ended up being an amazing and memorable Bright Eyes experience.