Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band

Conor Oberst is much shorter than he sounds. With such a resounding voice, with such passion in his music, it struck me as odd to see such a little guy crossing the big stage of the Enmore Theatre. This is not to suggest that he is overwhelmingly small, but from years of listening to Bright Eyes and seeing only publicity photos, nothing gave me an inkling that he was so slight. I’d imagined a six foot six giant, but the five foot something version, in a suit and tie that looked at once awkward and indie, was just as much a delight to see – and I guess the adage that good things come in small packages rings true in this case.

With that initial shock out of the way, the voice I have known and loved for many years briefly greeted the crowd, and Conor Oberst and crew, for this tour and most recent album dubbed The Mystic Valley Band, launched into a breathtaking set of beautiful folk, hip-swayingly sultry tunes, and toe-tapping alt-country jams. The set list didn’t deviate much from the new, self-titled album, with the exception of Corrine, Corrina, a traditional folk song handled ever-tenderly, and a cover of Paul Simon’s Kodachrome in the very elongated encore. I’m sure many, myself included, had hoped that a sneaky Bright Eyes tune might have slipped past the keeper, and although this hope was to no avail, no-one seemed to mind.

Beginning the set with Sausalito, the audience was privy to everything from some spur of the moment dancing from Oberst, to a sitting-and-dangling-his-legs-over-the-stage-while-playing moment that had me very jealous for not making a bigger effort to get down the front. During an amazingly rocking version of I Don’t Want To Die In The Hospital, Oberst even stood on top of the bass drum to deliver his own brand of “I can’t believe he just did that” music. Heavier (although I use that word with much caution) tunes like Souled Out!!!, NYC-Gone Gone and the afore-mentioned ..Hospital were by far the crowd favourites, with the not-quite-sold-out Enmore crowd swaying enthusiastically when the band let loose. All but one band member had a go at singing, which was refreshing, and all handled the tracks with masterful vocals that really gave the night a great sense of community.

As the set drew towards its end, the band members, with the exception of guitarist Taylor Hollingworth, left the stage and a single spot light framed Conor as he launched into a heartbreaking version of Milk Thistle. It was stunning, and the crowd was moved to deathly silence and statuesque movement. I’m still feeling like the wind is knocked out of me a week later. The end of the song brought with it the end of the set, which the band only briefly acknowledged, resuming their spots on the stage for a 15 minute encore, which included Lenders In The Temple.

It was with bittersweet regret that the lights came back up to the dazed crowd gathered in the standing room only lower floor of the Enmore. It was as if we’d been magically transported for an evening and then dumped back where we started – which in many ways we had been. It was hard walking outside, into the gloomy, drizzly night and the headlights and reality of Enmore Road, but the inner warmth than an evening of Oberst-filled sunshine had delivered kept me comforted long after the dreary walk to the car.

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