Conor Oberst shares the spotlight with Jenny Lewis in New York

July 4, 2009, at the River to River Festival

By Adrienne Urbanski
Published: July 8th, 2009 | 10:30pm

It’s not often you get an amazing double bill of headliners like Conor Oberst and Jenny Lewis on one night, but that’s exactly what fans were treated to at the three-hour holiday edition of the River to River Festival in New York City on July 4^th.

Lewis was appropriately dressed for the celebration in an American flag cape as she kept the energy and enthusiasm high from beginning to end of her set and opened with the fast-paced song, “Fernando.” Oberst himself donned a giant wide-brimmed hat as he first joined Lewis onstage to sing a cover of the Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle With Care,” which displayed their undeniable chemistry.

In her set, Lewis also notably performed an acoustic version of the Rilo Kiley tune “Silver Lining,” as she said to the audience, “I don’t know about you but it’s been a rough couple of years.” Lewis continued the chit-chat and audience interaction as she roved around the stage and locked eyes with audience members which proved her abilities as a gifted live performer, undoubtedly thanks to her years as a child actress.

Oberst took a completely different strategy than Lewis and chose to open his set with a series of slow numbers. While this could have killed the festive mood Lewis had so well established with her endlessly energetic set, it did make it apparent that Oberst has grown vastly as a musician. Whereas in the early years of his career he boasted an awkward, bleating, warbling voice and overly descriptive song lyrics that seemed to stretch on endlessly, his songs now are tighter packages.

Oberst showed admirable vocal ability as he carried melodies smoothly and showcased songs that were effectively sparse. Oberst also remained locked into the same position onstage which made his first few opening songs a bit dull at times, but he began to pick up momentum and variation halfway through his set, as he passed vocal duties on to members of the Mystic River Band at times.

Oberst made few comments other than giving praise to Lewis and mainly stuck with his newer material with the Mystic River Band as he opted not to dust off any gems from his lengthy musical history. While Oberst provided an admirable, ear pleasing set, the former indie heart throb could take a cue from Lewis and show a little more enthusiasm for being onstage. Nonetheless, the performances of both Oberst and Lewis were undoubtedly the highlight of many attendees’ July 4^th holiday.

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For more photos from this show visit Venus Zine’s Flickr page

Conor Oberst official site

Conor Oberst MySpace page

Jenny Lewis official site

Jenny Lewis MySpace page