JSOnline.com Review
By: Erik Ernst - jsonline.com

When Bright Eyes last visited Milwaukee in April, the band's founder and centerpiece, Conor Oberst, created a performance that has become infamous. A collection of video clips circulated online showing a rambling, stumbling Oberst leading a dozen white-clad musicians through an odd show. So it was understandable that there was an audible buzz from the crowd at the Pabst Theater on Monday night, wondering which version of Bright Eyes would show up for the band's return engagement. Those folks seeking more of the uneven chaos of the earlier show were disappointed. But fans who came to appreciate the impressive array of music that Oberst has created with a revolving cast of musicians during the past decade were rewarded with a solid, no-frills concert led by a musician who, at least on this night, was all business. Opening with the quiet acoustic tones of "An Attempt to Tip the Scales," Oberst led a lineup of four musicians through a 75-minute set that spanned the Bright Eyes catalog and featured only one song, "Classic Cars," from this year's "Cassadaga" album. The Nebraskan's melding of Midwestern simplicity into a range of country-infused rock brought to mind Wilco and even Bob Dylan's recent Americana-fueled work. The syncopation of "Another Travelin' Song" was guided by Oberst's staccato vocals and a musical railroad cadence. "Lover I Don't Have to Love" was an angst-filled groove with funky drum undertones. "Spring Cleaning" began with simple solo piano work that merged into an organ-driven jam. Oberst let his music do the communicating during the show. His only spoken message was a simple, "Thanks for coming, and good night" before the show's energetic highlight. Closing the encore with a new track that was rife with protest and filled with gritty rock guitars, Oberst finally let loose, climbing atop the bass drum before grinding his guitar with a wall of feedback into a toppled amplifier. Fellow Omaha singer-songwriter Simon Joyner's opening set began with acoustic folk tunes with a John Prine-like lyrical sensibility and ended with the up-tempo rock of the jaunty "Medicine Blues." The four-piece Capgun Coup began the night with a 30-minute set of rough indie rock.