Bright Eyes @ Walt Disney Concert Hall 5/6/07

It is hard to call Bright Eyes’ frontman Connor Oberst old or grown up as he only recently turned 27, but having recorded and released albums since the age of 14 it may be safe to say that he has found a new sense of stability and maturity in his craft. Not only does his latest and album of the year front runner Cassadaga, his “Americana” album, reflect this but his live performance this Sunday at the Walt Disney Concert Hall only serves as re-enforcement. However, the themes of life, love, war, drugs and death are all still present in his songs but now in a more subtle and refined manner.

“This is a strange place for us to play,” Oberst said in a transition between songs in reference to the ethereal Walt Disney Concert Hall. While the outside is a twisted wave of metal, the hall itself is intimate and, as one can imagine, acoustically spectacular. In this hall his music has never sounded better, “Four Winds” and the epic finale “Road To Joy” were immense and full as they boomed off the acoustically tuned wooden panels, while the slower, more intimate songs, “Lua” and “First Day Of My Life.” were sweet and resonate.

It may be that the performance consisted greatly of songs off Cassadaga, an album full of upbeat and hopeful tracks, more so than previous efforts, but there was sense as he stood in front of his band that he truly has come of age and will continue as one of the premier song writers in American music.