Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes icon and frequent Phoebe Bridgers collaborator, has a passionate following. That seemingly doesn’t stop him from deciding to call it quits early during a show though.
During a Bright Eyes concert in Houston, Texas this week, Oberst evidently had enough, walking off stage after playing just two songs, as per Brooklyn Vegan. ‘Dance And Sing’ and ‘Lover I Don’t Have To Love’ were performed, before Oberst promptly took off.
According to some attendees on social media, Oberst’s bandmates continued to play, starting Bright Eyes karaoke. Members of the crowd even got involved singing the band’s songs, backed by the band itself, making the most of a dire situation.
Despite this sweet moment, Oberst couldn’t be tempted back to the stage, forcing the Houston venue to issue refunds. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Bright Eyes was unable to perform at White Oak Music Hall and the show has been officially cancelled,” was how the email to attendees put it.
The Houston show isn’t the only worrying example of Oberst’s behaviour recently. A Reddit thread detailed his strange actions during a Cleveland concert earlier this year, which saw Oberst get angry at the audience for clapping before the end of a song.
“Conor’s shoes were untied for the first 3 songs and his tour manager had to come out, sit him on the piano bench, and tie his shoes,” and “About 2/3rds into the set Conor said “Sorry if this is going too long. If you have work tomorrow or something else to do you should just leave,” were just two of the curious revelations.
If you fancy your chances of catching Oberst on a good day, Bright Eyes have lots of dates remaining on their current tour, including several in the U.K. and Europe (see full dates here).
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This is a disaster and I appreciate the attempt at triage but jesus pic.twitter.com/WIZDvXIs7C
— Caitlin Cruz (@caitlinrcruz) May 23, 2022