Born in Omaha, surrounded by past scandal, but not ready to call it a day quite yet. Conor Oberst decided to take a quick pit stop in Australia before heading home to tour the United States once again. With a career spanning more than 20 year, Oberst is no stranger to playing fascinating venues and one off shows. Lucky enough, Sydney was treated to a night of hits, emotion, and plenty of new music.
The rain may have been torrential, but that didn’t deter anyone from heading to the Sydney Opera House to catch a rare appearance from American indie-folk legend, Conor Oberst. There is nothing quite like a show at the concert hall as its acoustic fit the gravelly vocals of Oberst quite well. With a new album just around the corner, the intimate performance was sure to be the standout of his 2017 tour. Joining Oberst on stage was friend and fellow songwriter, Miwi La Lupa. Coming on promptly at 8:40, the pair wasted no time as Conor sat down at the piano and Miwi grabbed baritone guitar, an intriguing sound emerged. Crooning through song after song, Oberst and Miwi took a brief break as Conor laughed that Miwi is in the union and it’s a mandated break. In terms of banter, the pair were quite the team, giving the crowd laugh after laugh.
After a short fifteen minute intermission, the pair emerged once more to dazzle the audience with their sound like no other. In the second set we had the pleasure of hearing Miwi step up to the microphone quite a few times, and it was nothing short of superb. With just a few songs left, it was only fitting the pair break into a Bright Eyes classic, Lua. It felt like 2005 all over again as the crowd belted out the lyrically, filling the concert hall with a thousand different voice as Oberst took the lead. Just before the show came to a close, the Opera House was treated to a new song that has not been heard live before, and what a song it was, utilizing heavy piano and vigorous vocals. Unfortunately the night had to end, but the crowd left feeling blissful, being fortunate enough to catch this special performance by the intense character that is Conor Oberst. Be on the lookout his seventh studio album, Salutations, being release March 17.