at The Music Hall on Friday, Nov. 16

It was an important concert for The Music Hall, which expanded its ever-growing audience by welcoming indie folk-rock titan Bright Eyes on Friday, Nov. 16. Making its first ever appearance in Portsmouth, the band electrified a crowd that was obviously ecstatic about the opportunity to see one of its generation’s most obsessed-over musical paragons up close and in the flesh.

Wearing jeans tucked into a pair of cowboy boots and emo bangs hanging over his eyes, front man Conor Oberst put every fiber of his skinny frame into each syllable. Twanging an amped acoustic guitar, he sang with unbridled vigor, eliciting spontaneous shouts of “We love you, Conor!” from male and female fans, alike.

The sold-out show—part of The Music Hall’s Intimately Yours music series—included opening performances from Nik Freitas and The Felice Brothers. Oberst joined the Felice Brothers for one tune, and they returned the favor by taking the stage with Bright Eyes later in the night.

For a singer perennially faced with accusations of whininess, Oberst’s stage presence is far from apathetic. He utters every word like he’s singing it for the first time, and he plays guitar with forceful and joyful authority. There is a strange sort of self-consciousness in his stage demeanor, occasionally addressing the audience, but seeming largely oblivious to the crowd’s exultant shouts. When the 27-year-old commented that it was “good to be back,” a woman playfully shouted “You’ve never been here!”

Oberst does not have a traditional singing voice, but his youthful, farm boy lilt seems to accurately convey the content of his songs. His tenuous voice sounds like it is always on the brink, like a branch that is about to break but only bends. The birds nesting there are his words, manifesting themselves in brilliant rhymes that swoop between personal angst and political ire, using metaphor to illustrate the emotions and frustrations of a 21st century generation.

As he is known to do, Oberst took a moment toward the middle of his set to engage in a brief political rant, expressing his disgust over the war in Iraq, where, he said, thousands of people have died for the sole purpose of making some rich folks richer. But, for the most part, he and his band mates focused on making music.

Bright Eyes played a number of songs from its latest release, “Cassadaga,” which came out in April. Particularly powerful were “Four Winds” and “If the Brakeman Turns my Way,” both off the latest album. But, fans also exulted in some of the older tunes, erupting in applause as soon as they recognized the opening lyrics of various Bright Eyes favorites. Pulling a trick out of Dylan’s bag, Oberst improvised slight modifications to the lyrics of several studio standards.

When Oberst and his crew disappeared backstage, the crowd enthusiastically called them back out. After several minutes of foot stomps, hand claps and hollers, Bright Eyes returned to the stage for a three-song encore, including a cover of a musician Oberst called one of the last true heroes of rock—Tom Petty. A motley clan of musicians from the evening’s acts gamboled about the stage during an energized performance of “Walls.” 

Bright Eyes closed the show with a brand new song that does not yet have an official title, but which Oberst has taken to calling “Live Free or Die (Dammit!)” The unexpectedly grungy sound reminisced of Oberst’s side band, Desaparecidos. As the drums and electric guitar rose to a tumultuous climax, Oberst fell to his knees and rubbed his guitar against an amp—Kurt Cobain-style—producing a frenzy of feedback.

Then, throwing his arm in the air and blowing a few parting kisses to the crowd, Oberst left the stage for good, leaving some 900 satisfied fans to spill out onto Chestnut Street.

A true craftsman of words, Oberst carries an aura of mystery, exuding a puzzling blend of innocence and arrogance. All his complexity and passion are ushered through the amps when he performs, and hundreds of loyal Seacoast fans hope he will return to the area for another encore soon.