Bright Eyes landed in St. Louis about two-thirds of the way through their 2025 tour supporting their September 2024 studio album release, Five Dice, All Threes.
This March Saturday night at The Pageant also welcomed the now Chicago-based Hurray for the Riff Raff during their last night opening for Bright Eyes. The project of- and fronted by singer-songwriter Alynda Segarra, included accompanying musicians for 40 minutes of catchy, dreamy, easy tunes. Songs included the folk-textured, minimalistic “Buffalo” and the languid, twang-twinged, lilting love song, “The World is Dangerous.”
The house filled up nicely with a vast array of ages by the time Bright Eyes donned the stage just after 9 p.m. Avid fans flocked to the front in order to soak in the Midwestern blend of buoyant folk/indie-rock with raw, heartfelt vocals. Formed in 1995, this band, known for Conor Oberst’s prolific writing, had a vast collection to choose from for the show. While they peppered in fan favorites such as the easy, alt-rock (a bit Wilco-esque) “Take It Easy (Love Nothing),” and the catchy “First Day of My Life,” they performed several from their new album including the keening, anthemic, “El Capitan,” the soft, narrative “Tin Soldier Boy,” “Tiny Suicides,” and the driving “Rainbow Overpass.”
After canceling a few shows last year due to vocal issues, Oberst sounded fully recovered and, dare we say, even enjoyed his time on stage during this 90-minute or so set.
Find all the photos we snapped for the night here https://bit.ly/BrightEyes25cz
Bright Eyes setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bright-eyes/2025/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-6355d62b.html
Hurray for the Riff Raff setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/hurray-for-the-riff-raff/2025/the-pageant-st-louis-mo-3b5e8068.html
In my work life, I help nonprofits and small businesses with media and public relations. In my what I love to do life, you can typically find me photographing either wild horses or concerts.
