While Bob Dylan was avoiding rain in the park, his alleged heir apparent Conor Oberst was holed up with the Mystical Valley Band in the Bowery Ballroom. Unlike Oberst’s Cassadaga tour there was no orchestra or projection art show just a lot of guitars. To be more precise: Nik Freitas and Taylor Hollingsworth on electric, Oberst on an acoustic and Macey Taylor on bass.

The band focused on the new album, disappointing a few fans who thought they’d get a chance to hear the guys do a few Bright Eyes covers. They did veer off to play a few covers including a gritty blues rendition of Dylan’s “Corinna Corinna” and a couple of new ones. They started the show off with their best Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers impression on “Moab” and quickly followed it up with “Sausalito” and “Get-Well-Cards”. Oberst silenced the crowd with the more gentle cuts like “Milk Thistle”, but was able to get them moving on “I Don’t Want to Die (In a Hospital)”.

Oberst had no problem letting people see his childlike (or more accurately drunken) side, playfully kicking Hollingsworth’s guitar and sweetly sweeping organist Nate Walcott’s hair out of his face before giving him a kiss. Even though it is a solo project it is clear The Mystic Valley players deserve some praise of their own. Hollingsworth adds in the catchy guitar riff of “Danny Callahan” and rocked out on his own “Central City”.

Freitas played leader starting out the encore with his Paul Simonesque “Sun Down”. Fans wondered where Oberst was, but seemed okay with letting the band play.

The star seemed to need a little more time allowing Taylor to take the lead on the Harry Nielson song “Everybody’s Talking” or better known to the girl behind me as “the song from You’ve Got Mail.” Oberst grapevined his way out on stage, beer in hand to take a verse. He seemed wasted, but was able to quickly launch into the barn stomping “NYC-Gone, Gone”. Oberst struggled a little with the words on “Souled Out!!!”, but seemed to bring it all together for “Breezy” a tribute to Sabrina Duim, a harpist and Stanford University undergraduate who toured with Bright Eyes and died in January 2007.

The crowd kept quiet making every little break in his already fragile voice standout. The emotional song closes with the band coming together to play what can only be described as noice. With everyone playing their own parts, Oberst tripped away from the keyboard with a wave, leaving the band to play by themselves once again.

Words and photo by Shannon Carlin