BRIGHT EYES: ASBURY PARK, NJ - 03.06.22
Bright Eyes with support from Alex G
at Stone Pony Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ
photos by John Matlosz, words by Andrew Kolba
On Friday, June 3, indie rock staple Bright Eyes took a trip to the New Jersey shore with Philly rocker Alex G and his band.
Playing The Stone Pony —situated alongside Ocean Ave, just a step outside the Asbury Park boardwalk— a sun-kissed crowd gathered before the venue’s noted summer stage.
Multi-instrumentalist Alex G opened for Bright Eyes, the Conor Oberst-led rock outfit. On stage, Alex G played both guitar and piano for the crowd, performing with his touring members Sam Acchione on guitar, John Heywood on bass, and Tom Kelly on drums.
The band supported essential Alex G listens such as ‘Southern Sky’ from 2019’s House of Sugar and ‘Kicker’ from 2015’s aptly-named Beach Music, while shaking things up with the newly-released ‘Blessing’, and as-of-now unreleased ‘Miracles.’
The show was just one of many Alex G and his band will be playing this year, having just announced his US headline tour.
Both sets were engaging and tightly-performed with witty banter and steadfast transition speeds between songs.
Bright Eyes kicked off their set with some throwbacks. ‘The Calendar Hung Itself’ and ‘Something Vague’ both off 2000’s Fevers and Mirrors arrived early in the setlist. Conor Oberst —the frontman of Bright Eyes— joked with the crowd in between a backstory of 2005’s ‘Old Soul Song’ and ruminations on the current decade.
Bright Eyes’ 2020 LP, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, was the band’s first record in over nine years. This current tour is also their first since the record’s release. Due to public health concerns, the band was unable to play Down in the Weeds live directly after its release, and mentioned so during the show.
2020 singles ‘Persona Non Grata’ and ‘Mariana Trench’ reverberated the summer stage — the former bringing Oberst to put down his guitar in favor of the piano bench. Additional standouts from Bright Eyes’ set included the hard-hitting ‘Poison Oak’ and the kicking ‘Another Travelin’ Song.’
The venue’s oceanic setting was emphasized by a round of fireworks, which coincided with the headliner’s final song of the night.
Closing out the show was an emotive performance of ‘Easy / Lucky / Free’ from Bright Eyes’ album Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. Digital Ash was one of two LPs Bright Eyes released same day on the 25th of January, 2005. The other was I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning.
I’m Wide Awake became a fan favorite record for singles such as ‘Lua’ and ‘First Day Of My Life’, the latter which Oberst performed in Jersey alongside a luscious flute arrangement.
With the venue's open and outdoor setting, the wisping ocean air complemented lyrics such as “They're spreading blankets on the beach” from the aforementioned single.
When the closing chords of ‘Easy / Lucky / Free’ rang in, and after the fireworks’ grand finale fizzled out, the band exited the stage following a crowd-pleasing multi-track encore which could not have felt better timed.
ALEX G
BRIGHT EYES
