bright eyes at hard rock live

There may be no better feeling on Earth than unexpected delight and surprise. Those OMG moments when you don't even care that the silly grin on your face is giving it all away.

I had a ticket to osee Bright Eyes at Hard Rock Live on May 17, and I was going solo. It was one of those days where I could easily have bowed out because there was no one to disappoint, the money was already spent a couple of months ago, I still had to pack my suitcase for a long-weekend jaunt to Houston to watch my niece be baptized, I was battling explosive digestive conflicts and it was raining for the first time in seven months.

But it was Bright Eyes. So I went. We're talking about one of my favorite bands, so I have no idea why I was so indifferent about it.

Oh my God, I am so glad I went.

First, as the band took the stage, all dressed in white -- suits, dresses, skirts, scarves, tights, what have you -- I caught a glimpse of the drummer. It was Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney. Holy crap! I knew she helped out on the new album Cassadaga, but I had no idea she was touring. Who knows how long this Sleater-Kinney hiatus will be? I was thrilled to see her, Janet, the woman who made me want to learn to play the drums. She's just amazing.

OMG Moment #2 -- There was a huge screen behind the stage where images were projected. Two songs in, I realized that a guy just six feet away from mr near the sound board was putting on this little show live with a bunch of little props he had within arm's length and a powerful overhead projector. It was simply fascinating to watch; other concertgoers were straining to see the live art unfold, and some were even recording it on their cell phones.

The first show within the show that i watched was the guy gently moving a small purple flower under the lens, twisting its stems and pulling off each petal one by one. It looked simply beautiful on stage, and I felt like I had a seat backstage. For the next song, the guy just used different colored markers, drawing aimlessly, it appeared. But when you looked up to the performers, you could see it wasn't so spontaneous. That's why they are wearing white! Conor's suit was yellow in a color-outside-of-the-lines kind of way.

It was fun to watch all the different setups, and it gave me lots of ideas for potential photo sessions.

OMG Moment #3 -- Conor is often ridiculed for his setlists and the lack of variety. With such a strong, prolific repertoire, Conor has hundreds of songs to choose from, he rarely strays from the band's current release. Not tonight.

Early in the set, Bright Eyes launched into "First Day of My Life," then later "Gold Mine Gutted" and then "The Calendar Hung Itself," "I Believe in Symmetry" and "Lua." The crowd, of course, went wild with each song that was more recognizable than anything on Cassadaga.

Always one to bring his friends with him on tour, there were 10-12 musicians on stage throughout the show. For the closer, "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning," which is truly the best closing song on any musician's setlist, there were 19, count them 19 people on stage.

All in all, the band hasn't veered too far from its earlier, more intimate shows. Sure, there were synchronized lights and formal attire, but it still had a very DIY feel, Nate still looked bored, Conor was still very quiet between songs and fans were still yelling asinine things like "I wanna have your baby, Conor."

Some things will never change.