Conor Oberst to make Opera House debut

He’s been hailed as ‘the new Bob Dylan’ and named songwriter of the year by Rolling Stone. Now Conor Oberst makes his Opera House debut in an intimate and exclusive Australian performance on 27 February 2017.

Switching between piano, guitar and harmonica, the restless creative spirit behind Bright Eyes, Monsters of Folk, Desaparecidos, will perform his seventh solo record, Ruminations as it was originally conceived – alone, at a turning point in his shape-shifting career.

Zigzagging through folk, alt-country, rock and even electronica, the 36-year old Omaha native has built a discography that is at once original and accessible, all of which will be on show on the Concert Hall stage.

With his main project, Bright Eyes, Oberst championed the softer side of indie rock in the early 2000s, earning comparisons ranging from Dylan and Gram Parsons to Elliot Smith for his captivating lyrics and ability to make the small and intimate feel large and loud.

“After 23 years of public performance, Conor Oberst’s fierce, raw, risk-taking intensity finally comes to the Opera House.” says Ben Marshall, Head of Contemporary Music at Sydney Opera House. “Conor is an artist of substance and integrity who is clearly compelled to make his art; his impact on independent folk and rock music is immense.

“The intelligence and honesty he brings to bear in his emotional, personal, sometimes desperate songs have gained him a legion of dedicated admirers and secured him a place as one of the significant songwriters of his generation.

“It’s a genuine privilege to welcome this intimate, overdue, Australian-exclusive evening with Conor Oberst to the Sydney Opera House.”

Ruminations was recorded in a 48-hour musical frenzy in the depths of Omaha’s most recent winter. After moving back to his hometown to recuperate after a brief hospitalisation that forced the cancellation of the Desaparecidos stateside tour, Oberst faced the long, cold and claustrophobic winter nights with nothing to do except write.

The result, Ruminations, is a bold and compelling statement, on which Oberst ditched his band mates, embraced simplicity and wove together the varied threads of his musical past. It reveals a sombre, vulnerable and unguarded side to one of the decade’s most ambitious artists.