Conor Oberst completed an eight-show residency called Conor Oberst & Friends, performing one show per week at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles and the Bowery Ballroom in New York. The series, which ended on April 25, 2024, featured about 50 musicians including Phoebe Bridgers and M. Ward, with no song repeats within each city.
Conor Oberst, frontman of Bright Eyes, recently finished a two-month tour residency across Los Angeles and New York. Over eight weeks, he performed weekly shows at the Teragram Ballroom and Bowery Ballroom, collaborating with new musicians each night. The setlists pulled from his extensive catalog, including Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk, and Better Oblivion Community Center material, without repeating songs in either city. This allowed rare performances of tracks like “Poison Oak,” “Barbary Coast (Later),” “Comet Song,” “Don’t Know When But a Day is Gonna Come” (first in 17 years), “False Advertising” (first in 13 years), and “Messenger Bird’s Song” (first since 2002). Covers included the Replacements’ “Here Comes a Regular” and “Little Mascara,” Daniel Johnston’s “Devil Town,” Thin Lizzy’s “Running Back,” and Fred Eaglesmith’s “Trucker Speed.” Music directors such as Macey Taylor, Nate Walcott, Maria Taylor, Jim Keltner, Miwi La Lupa, James Felice, and Nick Zinner curated bands featuring guests like Phoebe Bridgers, Joanna Sternberg, Lee Ranaldo, Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem, M. Ward, Jeff Parker, and Nikolai Fraiture of the Strokes. Oberst reunited with Bridgers for “Lua,” “My City,” and “Double Life,” calling it a “full-circle situation” since they first sang “Lua” together in 2016. He also performed Desaparecidos songs with Denver Dalley. “I feel a little bit rejuvenated,” Oberst said, reflecting on the challenge of rehearsing new 15-song sets weekly. At 44, having toured since age 14, he valued reconnecting with long-time friends: “Playing music together is pretty special.” The residency, planned for years, fit between projects and is unlikely to repeat soon.
