It was, to steal a word from Conor himself, “mystical.” First off, La Trastienda is a spectacular venue – cozy with a great reputation (I base this on their lineup of this band, Broken Social Scene in August and regular tango performances). The first two bands were both enjoyable, the first really folky and in the second band one guy wore a Dino Jr. tee (that’s all I got). As for the main event, the show was absolutely wonderful. One of those where you can hear, see and appreciate the songs and the words being sung. Conor Oberst is truly a great performer and extremely talented, obvi. He said little in between songs, but the way he sings his thoughts make you want to cry with nostalgia. Especially songs like First Day of My Life, Lover I Don’t Have to Love and Bowl of Oranges…
So I sat with him a while and then I asked him how he felt.
He said, "I think I'm cured. No, in fact, I'm sure.
Thank you Stranger, for your therapeutic smile."
So that is how I learned the lesson that everyone is alone.
And your eyes must do some raining if you are ever going to grow.
When crying don't help and you can't compose yourself,
It's best to compose a poem:
An honest verse of longing,
Or a simple song of hope.
Several times I wanted to run on stage, hug him and plead, “I KNOW! But what are you doing reading your diary to all these foreigners!” Then I decided listening and tapping my foot would be more appropriate. But those Argentines DO love the song Lua. I am curious to the whole “lost in translation” idea applied to music. I guess I don’t listen to gobs of Spanish music to compare the theory, but I realize music is a personal interpretation in any case. This night, it didn’t matter, Conor certainly did not disappoint.
Pitchfork just reviewed his new CD, so here.
And here’s a video of the night (Hit the Switch), not the best but the only one that didn’t give me motion sickness.
p.s. - sorry for the bad foto. hopefully the video makes up for it.
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