Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band @ First Avenue

Conor Oberst has finally found a band he can get completely lost in. After years of trying, with all the various lineups and incarnations of Bright Eyes, and even having The Faint as his backing band for a tour, Conor has finally found a group where the spotlight isn’t constantly focused on him. Gone are the days when a nervous kid recited his delicate poetry over the hushed strumming of his acoustic guitar to often awed and adoring audiences; the new Conor is raising hell and a mighty racket with his Mystic Valley Band, and not looking back. He’s clearly having more fun this way, and it makes me seriously wonder if most, (the band has played “Lua” and “Bowl Of Oranges,” occasionally during recent sets) if not all the Bright Eyes material, (none were played at last nights show) has been retired for good or just for now.

Playing with essentially the same lineup that was featured at the 400 Bar shows in December, when the songs on the new record Conor Oberst were being fleshed out by the band for the first time in public, (guitarist Nik Freitas, bassist Macey Taylor, Jason Boesel on drums, Nate Walcott on keys, with the only new addition being Taylor Hollingsworth on guitar) Conor has unquestionably reached a comfort level with the musicians and the new material, allowing for a loose (perhaps too loose at times) and entertaining show. The show also featured plenty of brand new songs that aren’t on the new album (or the four song tour-only EP Gentleman’s Pact) which leads me to believe this Mystic Valley Band isn’t going anywhere for the time being.

The show actually began with one of those brand new songs, “Nikorette,” that was loud, rocking, and soulful. Conor was immediately engaged and enthused, climbing onto speakers and spitting out billowy streams of spit as he emphatically delivered his lyrics. “Sausalito” was up next, and with the additional guitar, it was turned into quite an emphatic, rowdy rocker, and was quickly followed by “Get Well Cards,” which became a bit of a crowd (and band) sing along, continuing the boisterous, guitar heavy start to the show. Conor and the band were in great spirits, clearly enlivened by returning to the city that Conor referred to as “one of the three homes that the band has.” (with Tepoztlán, Mexico, where the album was recorded, and Billings, Montana, where Taylor made his live debut with the band, being the other two.)

This particular Mystic Valley Band was a much tighter and confident bunch than the tentative band that was still learning the new songs at the 400 Bar, and it showed throughout the night. But it was Conor clearly leading the way on the exquisite “Cape Canaveral,” with the band muting themselves so the lyrics could guide the song home. The chorus of “victory is sweet even deep in the cheap seats,” clearly resonated with an audience that is as prepared as Conor and the band are for change to come on Tuesday. It was the high-water mark to the start of the set.

“Moab,” kept the momentum going, becoming a brazen ode to the journey of discovery and change, an underlying theme to Conor’s music and this concert specifically, coming as close as it did to election day (and following a free afternoon performance at the Loring Pasta Bar for the Get Out The Vote campaign). Change was in the air and on Conor’s mind, but instead of feeling like a political lecture by someone who shouldn’t be given a microphone, it felt much more like a participatory call to arms and a better way, with Conor claiming that collectively we can indeed make a difference “if we show up.”

New song “Slowly,” was next up, and it was anything but slow. Another rambunctious rock song that again found Conor climbing the speakers and drum stand, invigorated by the freedom the MVB was providing for him musically. He could hand over the vocals and guitar leads to anybody in the band (everyone except Nate sang lead vocals at some point during the night), and just fade into the background, content to let the song be the focal point and not him. The show hit a bit of a lull somewhat after that spirited number, and it lasted until the band played a bluesy, downright funky version of the standard “Corina, Corina,” made famous by heralded local son Bob Dylan (who will be playing his own potentially politically charged local show on Election Night at Northrup).

That cover revitalized the show, which carried over into emphatic versions of “NYC-Gone, Gone,” that was a stomping, uproarious jolt that carried over seamlessly into “Souled Out,” which found the band turning up the volume and the discord, and Conor starting to show slight signs of inebriation as he bounded about the stage. But he settled down enough to deliver a stunning version of “Milk Thistle,” with just Macey on stage with him, that closed the main set as the rest of the band left the stage. It was the night’s only glimpse into Conor’s musical past with Bright Eyes, with the focus and the spotlight falling squarely on him and his lyrics, and it was a potent reminder of his strength as a songwriter.

But his new direction with the Mystic Valley Band was made entirely apparent by the encore, when he didn’t even sing lead vocals on both of the first two numbers. Taylor sang lead on the countrified and tragic “Snake Hill,” and Jason sang lead on “Sundown,” with Conor content to just sing backup and cavort around the stage with his acoustic guitar, clearly pleased to let others sing for a change. He was just a guy in the band, completely at ease and simply part of the whole, not the hub. He dedicated a rousing cover of Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome” to the people that introduced him to the song way back when, and the band and the crowd clearly had a lot of fun with this one, with lots of dancing and smiling spreading throughout First Ave. And that shared vivacity continued with “I Don’t Want To Die (In A Hospital)” the song I remember most from the 400 Bar shows. And it’s good to see that the added practice didn’t rob the song of it’s initial zest and unbridled verve, perhaps even added to it, and Conor’s lubricated performance even carrying over to play one of the worst (but thankfully brief) keyboard solo’s I’ve ever heard. It was just another clear example that Conor has been freed from the pressure of being the focal point of the band, and now he’s just another guy making noise on stage.

When he stayed at the keyboards for the next song, however, I was a bit worried, considering how his last attempt went, but the show closed with Conor leading the band through an absolutely gorgeous rendition of “Breezy,” from the Gentleman’s Pact EP It was an emotional highpoint of the show for me, and is such a tender, truly moving song, that the band felt the need to bring one last bit of dissonance into the tune before the final verse, making a rousing racket to perhaps mask the stark poignancy of the lyrics a bit.

It was an exhilarating, confident return to Minneapolis for Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band. One that found Conor being just a boy in the band, as opposed to these numerous labels the media has unfairly hung on him over the years. And freed from that pressure, Conor and the band played an untethered, spirited set, clearly enjoying sharing the stage and the spotlight with each other. And while I can’t help but feel with this show the same way I do every time I see Stephen Malkmus (how can they go onstage and not play any of those brilliant songs they have in their back pockets?), I have confidence that Conor is committed to the cause and taking his music in a good, positive direction, and clearly having fun while doing it. And who can truly fault him for that.

(Set list courtesy of Carl Atiya Swanson)
Nikorette
Sausalito
Get Well Cards
Cape Canaveral
Moab
Slowly
I Got a Reason #1
Spoiled
Corina, Corina
I Got a Reason #2
NYC–Gone, Gone
Souled Out
Milk Thistle
(encore)
Snake Hill
Sundown
Kodachrome (Paul Simon Cover)
I Don’t Want To Die (In A Hospital)
Breezy

Also: Bright Eyes “I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning” (Best of the Decade)