The dreamy Conor Oberst (from my vantage point, looking a lot like 30 Seconds to Mars’ Jared Leto) returned to Columbus with Bright Eyes a few weeks ago, giving the young ladies in the crowd something to swoon about. The kid’s come a long way since starting the band as a precarious teen in the late ’90s and rumor is that Oberst is considering retiring the Bright Eyes name. While there were definitely a lot of college-aged kids in attendance, the LC wasn’t sold out (I thought it might be) which might explain while the show was held indoors even though the music seemed suited for the vast expanse of the starlit night.
Dawes opened the show with their Laurel Canyon, easy Southern California rock sound. The band’s Nothing is Wrong had been released the day before and the four-piece, led by Taylor Goldsmith (who looks – and even sounds a bit – like a Colin Gawel/Tim Easton hybrid), dedicated a majority of their set to songs from the sophomore album and holding out the big “hit” off the last album, “When My Time Comes”, until just before they ended.
All photos by Kim Rottmayer.
Bright Eyes
