Bright Eyes returned to Philadelphia this past Saturday performing at The Met in celebration of their new album, Five Dice, All Threes, as well as performing some of their best songs from the last two decades. Supporting them were long-time collaborators and fellow Omaha, Nebraskans, Cursive, with various members contributing vocals throughout Bright Eye’s set.
This tour meant a lot for fans after the cancellation of the later dates of 2024 due to lead singer Conor Oberst’s health. He ultimately injured his voice from too much singing and was advised by his doctor to take time off and recuperate. This time, ecstatic fans showed up in massive numbers for their first show in Philly since last September at World Café Live.
Bright Eyes | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN
They started off the night with “Bells and Whistles,” the latest single from the new album. Midway through the opening song Oberst broke a string on his acoustic guitar and skipped a planned performance of “El Capitan” to go right into “Method Acting” while his road crew fixed the string behind the scenes. The band’s ability to improvise and inconspicuously shuffle the set around was remarkable, and the band’s energy took the crowd on rollercoaster of highs and lows. The much-loved “First Day of My Life” was soft and simple, with just a ukulele and drumstick rhythm, while the lush “Take it Easy (Love Nothing)” followed it with fast electric guitars, then back to just Oberst’s voice and drumsticks for “Mariana Trench,” then straight to a synth heavy keyboard driven “Devil Town.”
While Obert is an excellent performer, having a multi-instrumentalist group of musicians changes everything. Founding member Mike Mogis has an amazing multi-instrumental talent juggling guitar, keyboard, and drums, a compliment to Nate Walcott’s belting trumpet and horn section. Songs like “Soul Singer in a Session Band,” “Loose Leaves,” and “Persona Non Grata” all finish with Nate reeling it in with a victorious trumpet solo. Even Oberst showed off his musical proficiency jumping on the piano for songs like “Shell Games” and “Old Soul Song (for the New World Order).”
Cursive | photo by Ben Wong for WXPN
Cursive was the perfect band to open for Bright Eyes, given both groups’ history performing and recording together since the 90’s. After delivering a fired-up set of their own, highlighting last year’s Devourer, frontman Tim Kasher come out during the main set to perform Bright Eyes’ 2002 song “Nothing Gets Crossed Out” with Oberst (a superb moment, especially since he gets a shoutout in the song: “Yeah, Tim, I heard your album, its better than good”). Cursive’s guitarist and backup singer, Ted Stevens came out to add vocals for the second song in the encore “Hypnotist (Song for Daniel H)” a cover by Ted and Mike Mogis’ early project Lullaby for the Working Class.
One thing Bright Eyes doesn’t shy away from is their passion for spreading their message on the current climate of politics. All throughout the night, Oberst asked fans to remain active and continue to protest the establishment. Right before playing “Rainbow Overpass” he addressed the crowd, comparing the Bush/Cheney era when Bright Eyes began, to the administration in Washington right now. “They can’t separate foreigners from their families. They can’t tell women what to do with their bodies,” Oberst said. “They can’t make anyone feel like they’re not themselves. I don’t want to live in Elon Musk’s wet dream!” He concluded the show with a promotion of the band’s Poison Oak Project, a charity dedicated to advancing the equity of the LGBTQ+ community, with an emphasis on helping the trans community. Anyone who donated that night got a chance to win free merch, a signed setlist, and a chance to meet the band that evening. For information, visit the Bright Eyes website and click the Poison Oak Project tab.
Bright Eyes’ tour continues as the band makes its way out west. Check out their full tour schedule here, and see more photos from Philly below.