Field Trip: Bright Eyes (Conor Orbest)

Last night Carly and I headed over to the sweltering SOMA to check out Bright Eyes. In the genre of music that I listen to (guitar based with roots in Dylan, Young, Simon, etc.) Coner Orbest is something of an icon. However, I have never much cared for him. To me, he comes across as an immature whiner, so I went to the concert with low expectations.

Surprise. Surprise. The dude blew me away. He's touring with a band of about a dozen musicians that give CO's songs a power and depth that was really impressive.

I'm putting last night's show in my top 5 of concerts I've seen the last 12 months.

My current rankings:

1. Ryan Adams (duh)
2. Bright Eyes
3. My Morning Jacket
4. Ben Kweller and Gomez
5. Amos Lee