Conor Oberst and the Felice Brothers at the Waiting Room in Omaha 3/9/17

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Ian and Christmas of the Felice Brothers opened

The Waiting Room is one of my favorite venues. First of all, it's in Omaha, where opportunities and great memories of previous shows abound. But practically speaking, it's also got a low stage, no barrier, isn't too big, and boasts a really excellent collection of concert posters.

I met up with show-going friends and waited in line all afternoon. The temperature was pleasant in the sun, and the glass doors mean that while waiting, you can both hear and see the sound check. We had a blast hanging around, and then ate a pretty wonderful dinner at Lot 2 shortly before doors.

The crowd was amiable before the show, and I got to catch up with a bunch of acquaintances. The Felice Brothers played a great set, if a somewhat solemn one. Phil and Farley seemed to be joking around in the wing at stage right, but the others were pretty serious. Since I hadn't seen the Felice Brothers before, I didn't make much of it, but what happened next (and what happened at the next two shows I went to) sort of put it in context.

James Felice on accordion.
The crowd talked and used their cell phones through most of the set. Conor sort of raged at them a couple of times, talking about how the music must be so boring -- that it was the most boring thing he'd ever done, playing for them, and he wished they could just change the channel. Too bad there's not a remote for that. They really deserved this lecture, but it didn't really seem to have any effect on them. I'm not sure if this is just the nature of the hometown crowd -- too cool to show any overt interest in a "local" act -- or if Conor's response was disproportionate and affected by some other thing I didn't know. I was embarrassed on behalf of the crowd.

However, I still had a blast. The first song was "Afterthought", which by coincidence I had listened to practically on repeat this week. Only a few songs from old Bright Eyes records surfaced -- "Four Winds", "Poison Oak", "Southern State" and "Train Underwater". There was also only one song from Upside Down Mountain, "Time Forgot". Conor and the Felice Brothers played almost entirely new stuff, from Ruminations and Salutations, which was a thrill. The songs from Ruminations are really shining with a full band, and it's great to see them with the band who performed on the record. I always love getting to hear new songs for the first time in a live setting. I had caught "Napalm", a sort of barn-burner reminiscent of "Roosevelt Room" for its ability to rile the crowd, in Madison a year or two back. They've been closing encores with it, and it's an excellent choice for that.

This new album is going to be a heartbreaker. The kind of tricky one whose production lulls you into thinking the song is more casual and lighthearted than it is. This is the kind of thing I'm beginning to think the Felice Brothers are pretty good at. There are references on the record to heroin, prostitutes, fights with loved ones ("Too Late to Fixate"?). Torture, murder, infidelity ("Empty Hotel by the Sea"). And then there is the kind of upbeat track with a catchy chorus I still can't get out of my head ("Anytime Soon" and "Long Overdue" come to mind).

The first track of the encores has been listed only as "Solo" - I'm not sure that's anything to do with the title but the track is a diatribe, a rambling indictment of an interlocuter by a singer who also hates himself. It's deeply troubling, but in that satisfying way it can be to say "fuck you" to someone who deserves it. The line lengths are awkward but the chorus is catchy

"No one's gonna change,
nobody ever does
No one is gonna change,

No one is changing for you!
No one is gonna change
Nobody ever does
And I'm never gonna do what you want me to."

 Setlist:
Afterthought
Four Winds
Too Late to Fixate
Saint Dymphna
Overdue
Southern State
Mamah Borthwick
Time Forgot
Empty Hotel by the Sea
Anytime Soon
Salutations
Gossamer Thin
Poison Oak
Barbary Coast
A Little Uncanny
___
Solo
Train Underwater
Napalm

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