By: Cassie Limberakis
CHICAGO– Bright Eyes, fronted by Conor Oberst, played at the Salt Shed on Saturday, April 5th 2025. The Omaha band has been active for more than two decades, first releasing music in 1995. Oberst and his band mates are seasoned musicians who do a fantastic job of showcasing their art to the world. He is also a fierce and steadfast ally for the trans community, acknowledging Trans Day of Visibility, which was on March 31st.
The opener for this show was a band called Cursive, also hailing from Bright Eyes’ hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. They were electric on stage, combining trumpet and electric guitar for some fun genre fusion. They have a fun punk sound, which is bound to get people moving and grooving in the pit.
The band is also very politically conscious, mentioning the ‘Hands Off Protests’ that took place on April 5th. Band member, Tim Kasher said most eloquently, “The power of the people is greater than the people in power. That’s us! Resist! Be safe out there.” This quote will always provide a spark of hope for me in this world. Throughout history, music has acted as an agent of healing and a force for good. Music has the unique capability to unite communities to help foster movements of positive social change.
After this stupendous performance, Bright Eyes took over. Their sound echoed that of cursive, pulling at early 2000s punk and emo sounds. In the song, “Belles and Whistles,” bandmates played an electric guitar riff with a call and response effect in their performance. Like Cursive, Bright Eyes made sure to make The Salt Shed a safe space where audience members can just be themselves. People danced and sang to the point where their voices were hoarse. What is even cooler is that the lead singer of Cursive, Kasher, helped produce Bright Eyes’ music.
Both bands put on a spectacular performance which is sure to be remembered by all in attendance.
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