bright eyes (Sunday April 3rd, 2005 - 14:39)

category: mmhuh?

The Metro has changed a little since I last lived in Sydney – no more cinema, a new bar area with a pool table, a no smoking policy but ultimately the theatre portion remains the same and the best mid-sized venue in Sydney (large stage, good sound and lights, and the theatre-style steps make for good viewing from further back).

Walking up the stairs I’m hit with memories of the Jesus and Mary Chain stealing my thumping heart; Sean Hughes at his comic best mentioning Finland and making me beam; Mercury Rev tinkling gorgeously; Tlot Tlot playing my favourite happy tunes (whatever happened to them?); Grant Lee Buffalo making me shed a tear; and whiling hours and hours away surrounded by starry curtains in the Dendy cinema with free tickets I’d scored from the Drum Media, SMH or late night indie radio shows (I even wrote some cruddy poem back in 96 … those dendy stars surround me, as I fall into a deepness, of a darkness in the silence of this room; but I slowly hear the creeking, of the spools that start their spinning, and the screen before me sends me far away … etc etc).

Last night the solo set from New Buffalo did nothing for me. Looking around now I see that the blonde haired, white dressed femme is having the hype-on… hmm. I tried to enjoy it but nothing grabbed me from her occasional wanders around the stage, the keyboard, her electric guitar, the backing tracks. Listening now to the mp3 of I’ve got you and you’ve got me from her website… I’m still hohum. It’s not bad, but doesn’t fit in with my recent listening patterns.

On Friday my bosses told me they’d been to see REM the night before and I said “oh, Bright Eyes were supporting them!”. They said Bright Eyes had been great and asked if they had albums out so I said that I’d seen the latest two in shops around Glebe and they probably have older ones too.. after lunch one of them came back proudly holding his newly acquired Bright Eyes album and later on confirmed that it was great.

So I had some expectations.. and yesterday afternoon listened to the albums I have but apart from a few long-held favourites most tunes swept past me while I was working on my sites. Bright Eyes took to the stage at 10 and stayed, minus a minute waiting to be called for the encore, for about an hour and a half, and although I wasn’t bored I wasn’t entirely wooed either. The Sydney crowd chimed in during some songs I didn’t know so I guess I should have got the latest albums to enjoy the gig more.

I hadn’t expected Conor Oberst to look like he did (how hadn’t I ever seen a photo?) – in the flesh he’s one of those people whose bodies look like they’d sound completely different. I adore the sound of his vocals but it took some getting used to seeing this dark haired little thing which such a distinct voice.

The band sounded fantastic, very much true to the recordings I knew, and there’s no serious fault I can find with the gig.. I guess it’s just the sort of gig where you need to know the songs to get the most out of it because a lot of them follow a very similar pattern.

The big disappointment was the lack of lover I don’t have to love – the first Bright Eyes song I heard in 2002 and subsequently the reason I wanted to go to the gig. I should know by now to not expect one patricular song at any gig.. but never mind.