Welcome back Bright Eyes!
The beloved indie-rockers make their much-anticipated return to New Zealand this Spring.
Auckland | Tuesday 7th November
Christchurch | Wednesday 8th November
Dunedin | Thursday 9th November
Strung Out Pre-sale: Monday 11th September, 12pm
General tickets on sale: Tuesday 12th September, 12pm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BRIGHT EYES' first two albums, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 and Letting Off the Happiness, were released in 1998. This marked the beginning of a worldwide love affair with the Omaha trio, consisting of Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott. The band last toured Australia 12 years ago in 2011, before a nine-year hiatus. So it’s great news that the three friends are back together, bringing their vast career-spanning repertoire down under. They will also play new music from their most recent album Down In The Weeds, Where The World Once Was (2020).
Bright Eyes, led by Conor Oberst, has been an enduring force in the music scene since their humble beginnings in an Omaha basement in 1995. Known for their stirring songs that unravel the personal and political chaos of life, their work still rings true decades later. 2020 marked significant anniversaries for several of their seminal albums, notably their anti-war masterpiece I'm Wide Awake It’s Morning. After the release of their ninth album, The People's Key in 2011, the band took a hiatus, with members Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nathaniel Walcott pursuing other ventures. Mogis produced records for acclaimed folk acts, and together with Walcott, composed scores for several films. Walcott also played alongside numerous artists, ranging from U2 to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Meanwhile, Oberst released several solo albums and started a band with Phoebe Bridgers, called Better Oblivion Community Center.
Despite an almost decade-long pause, Bright Eyes’ music has continued to resonate globally through cover songs, pop culture nods, film & tv syncs, and their timeless, genre-traversing catalog, which culminated in the long-awaited reunion of Bright Eyes, now signed to indie label Dead Oceans.
Bright Eyes have since reissued all nine studio albums along with new recordings featuring various guests as part of their partnership with Dead Oceans. Of the project, Oberst says, “It’s been an interesting journey revisiting and reimagining all of these old songs…I hope all of the fun and neo-nostalgia we experienced recording these comes through to the listeners.”
