I’ve always liked Bright Eyes, so naturally when I heard that Conor Oberst was coming to the Turner Hall Ballroom, I was excited. I saw Bright Eyes, his “band” at the Pabst Theater in Spring 2007 and the show was sold out—my friend and I even got there early so we could stand in the front by the stage. We were an hour or two early and still had to stand in a long line that wound around the building.

This time, I just assumed it would be the same way, so we got there an hour early so we could again wait in either a line or at least be closer to the stage. However, the show was nowhere near sold out.

My reasoning for his drop in ticket sales is that people are unaware that Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes are the same thing. Yes, the same thing. Not that Bright Eyes was entirely a solo act, but still it was about as close as it could get. After all, it wasn’t like he had a consistent band that was always touring with him.

Apparently Oberst’s new thing is “just hanging out with his friends.” (Maybe it’s not a new thing, but I read that on his new website, www.conoroberst.com.) The new band is officially titled Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and it features five other musicians, most notably (to me) is Jason Boesel of Rilo Kiley (I saw Rilo Kiley over the summer and they did not disappoint me at all). However, I heard rumors that M. Ward was also supposed to be a member and I’m very disappointed that he did not want to join Oberst and his group of friends on tour.

I’m being completely honest when I say I really like Conor Oberst’s new self-titled album. I’m generally not the kind of music connoisseur that writes something off because it is new and different (like most Rilo Kiley fans did when the band came out with their latest album “Under the Blacklight.” Yes, I actually loved it even though I am a fan of the older stuff too), although I was surprised that he chose to use his real name.

The album itself was recorded in Tepoztlán, Morales, Mexico over a one month period. According to the website, they “crafted a lush and beautiful record that evokes the deep sense of harmony in which they lived and worked during that month.” I believe it. Some of the lyrics remind me of scenes in The Doors when Jim Morrison is wandering through the desert.

The next statement is not in anyway saying that I did not enjoy Conor Oberst masquerading as… himself, but I think I had a lot more fun when he was still Bright Eyes. The difference: back in 2007, I don’t know what was going on with him (whether it be drug or alcohol related), but he wore an all white suit, had the stage decorated in brightly colored daisies and then he proceeded to ramble incoherently about the opening band, Oakley Hall between every song. The show went on to end with him being carried off stage because he was so out of control. At one point, he jumped into the audience (to the dismay of the backstage crew) and I actually touched him (not in a creepy way). He tried to give away his guitar several times, which he claimed at the beginning was lent to him by a friend. I’m not saying his apparent drug use was a good thing, but I had the time of my life.

On Thursday I was glad to see that he’s cleaned up his act, but he barely talked in between songs and he seemed to have lost some of his spunk (which I hope wasn’t just drug induced ramblings). They also played a lot of songs that have never been heard and he lost the suit and wore jeans. I would have liked to know some of the songs before hand, but it was still enjoyable.

A good friend of mine believes this is because he’s “just having fun with his friends” and “is trying to be casual.”

Going into it, I thought he would play at least one Bright Eyes song, but he didn’t play any. Is he trying to shed his former image? Also, his voice is a bit different. My question: is he happier being himself than he was a Bright Eyes? He’s definitely folksier than ever, but I’m not complaining about that.

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