1521

Bright Eyes played 2 nights @ Radio City Music Hall w/ Superchunk & Wild Flag (pics, videos & setlists)

photos by Tracy Allison, words by Erin Allison

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes headlined Radio City Music Hall in NYC twice this week. – March 8 & 9. Conor Oberst’s Merge label-mates Superchunk and Wild Flag also opened both nights. I was there on the 2nd night which is also when the pictures in this post were taken.

Wild Flag, the all-girl group from Portland, comprised of Sleater-Kinney and former Helium members took the stage at 8pm for a rocking, half-hour long, six song set. Wild Flag also played The Rock Shop twice on March 5th.

If you would have told a younger Oberst at age thirteen that Superchunk would be opening for his band he would have “kicked you in the shins.” The pop-punk band, who released their 9th album this past September, were equally enthusiastic to be opening for Bright Eyes, with singer (and Merge head honcho) Mac McCaughan telling the audience that playing a venue like Radio City alongside bands like Wild Flag and Bright Eyes “makes you feel part of something bigger.”

As Oberst took the stage, members of the audience could be heard shouting “Welcome back, Conor!” Bright Eyes played a perfect mix of new and old music during the twenty-song set and three-song encore. The theme for the night seemed to be sexually explicit material, with a dash of family. Two songs were dedicated “to Nancy”, the Bright Eyes frontman’s mother. Oberst shared the stage with only Nathaniel Wolcott for “Ladder Song,” and talked about Lent, telling all of Radio City that he had given up apologizing for the next 40 days. The politically active Oberst discussed the U.S. government trying to control the whole world and encouraged people to do what they can to make a change before playing “Old Soul Song”.

There was dancing, tears, squealing audience members, and screams when Oberst jumped into the audience during the encore. Fans could not have been happier to have Bright Eyes back, and as it was eloquently put, “Coberst killed it.” Free Gotham said:

“The highlight of the evening? I loved “Hot Knives,” “Bowl of Oranges,” “Lover I Don’t Have to Love” and “Ladder Song,” but the epitome of Bright Eyes had to be the performance of “Shell Games.” Not only is this one of the best tracks off of The People’s Key, it was without a doubt the best song of the night.”

The full setlists for both nights, more tour dates, some videos, and more pictures from night two, below…

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Superchunk

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Wild Flag

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes Concert at Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA
Setlist on March 8, 2011

Firewall
Jejune Stars
Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
Four Winds
Bowl of Oranges
We Are Nowhere and It’s Now
Shell Games
Approximate Sunlight
Arc of Time
Falling Out of Love at This Volume
Beginner’s Mind
Cartoon Blues
Something Vague
Hot Knives
Nothing Gets Crossed Out
A Machine Spiritual (In the People’s Key)
Old Soul Song
Poison Oak
The Calendar Hung Itself
Lua
Encore:
Gold Mine Gutted
Lover I Don’t Have to Love
Road To Joy
One For Me, One For You



Bright Eyes Concert at Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY, USA Setlist on March 9, 2011
Firewall
Jejune Stars
Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
Hot Knives
An Attempt to Tip the Scales
Padraic My Prince
We Are Nowhere and It’s Now
Shell Games
Approximate Sunlight
Arc of Time
Triple Spiral
Cleanse Song
Trees Get Wheeled Away
No One Would Riot For Less
Beginner’s Mind
Bowl of Oranges
Old Soul Song
Poison Oak
The Calendar Hung Itself
Ladder Song

Encore:
Lover I Don’t Have to Love
Road To Joy
One for You, One for Me


BRIGHT EYES – 2011 TOUR DATES
Mar 11 State Theater Portland, ME
Mar 13 The Sound Academy Toronto, ON , CA
Mar 14 Royal Oak Music Theatre Detroit, MI , US
Mar 15 Riviera Theatre Chicago, IL
Mar 16 Foellinger Auditorium Urbana, Illinois
Mar 17 Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN, us
Mar 19 Auditorium Shores Austin, Texas , US
Apr 2 Uptown Theater Kansas City
Apr 3 The Riverside Milwaukee, WI, us
Apr 4 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN, us
Apr 5 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN, us
Apr 8 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, BC , CA
Apr 9 Crystal Ballroom Portland, OR , US
Apr 12 Fox Theater Oakland, CA
Apr 13 Fox Theater Pomona, CA , USA
Apr 16 COACHELLA Indio, California, US
Jun 6 The Pageant St Louis
Jun 16 Kaufleuten Zurich, SWITZERLAND
Jun 19 Postbahnhof Berlin, GERMANY
Jun 21 Gloria-Theater Köln, GERMANY
Jun 23 Alhambra Paris, FRANCE
Jun 23 Royal Albert Hall London, United Kingdom
Jul 7 Tivoli Utrecht, Netherlands
Jul 8 HMV Institute, Birmingham Birmingham, UNITED KINGDOM
Jul 12 The Sage Gateshead Newcastle, UNITED KINGDOM
Jul 14 Manchester Academy Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM