It's entertaining when a band decides to go a "new" direction. Most of the time the inevitable will happen; you'll lose the old fans, but gain some completely new ones. This can be seen throughout history in many examples, but one of the most recent was the band Bright Eyes.

In February, Conor Oberst and his current entourage released the album The People's Key, an album that took the musician and his band in a new direction. Having previously been quoted regarding the new sound, "we're over Americana, rootsy, whatever that sound is. We very much wanted it to be rocking", it shouldn't have been any surprise that the recent KC stop on their tour was just that - new.

Opening with one of the hits from the new album, "Firewall", literally set the stage for the almost theatrical performance Oberst would put on. The song starts off with a professor or teacher of some sort, telling a completely random and kind of creepy story. His voice is soft and inviting, thus making it difficult to not listen to the theories of the universe. But it's the intro of a solo guitar's chord progression that really snags the last bit of your attention. Covered in deep blue lights, the addition of some industrial percussion work only adds to the dramatic transitions. The whole song comes off as though it was torn from the setlist of Brand New; it's dark and thick, with a hint of sex appeal.

Much of the set was filled with the new album. Songs like "Jejune Starts" and "Shell Games" gave the band a chance to up the tempo a touch. The former acted as a great excuse to dance it out to a 80's-style pop number, with its emphasis sitting on not only the jazzing cymbals, but the finger work plucking out of Conor's guitar. We got a few yellows and reds for the lighting on that song. Of course, after everyone had just gotten used to a few dance pieces, the set revealed "Approximate Sunlight" and we were quickly taken back to a sultry stage with only a few members chiming in. The beat was so somber, that when paired with the warm blues guitar, a gentle sway came across the crowd. A soft ween could be heard from an accompanying guitarist and when the blue lights came back, the tone was solidified.

As a new fan, there was one of the old songs that stuck itself in my mind. "The Calendar Hung Itself…" took the latter part of the set and kicked it up a few notches. The xylophone gave the song its sashay, while the synthesizer helped the salsa beat come out that much faster. It was one of those songs that after seeing it performed live you'd have just one response: "that was fun!"

The entire show ended poetically with the last song on the new album called "One For You, One For Me". The light airy strums took the sound to a George Michael, mid-90s Adult Alternative level. But it played nicely with the empowering and nearly cheerful lyrics. Props are due with this selection, as Conor could've easily picked another "hit" of his to end the night. Instead he chose a song to leave his audience with an ever-so-slight grin on their faces.

The reaction from an old Bright Eyes fan would probably be completely different, but the reaction from this new one was that it was an enjoyable show, for sure.

-Rachel Fredrickson

Bright Eyes
April 2, 2011
Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO
www.conoroberst.com

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