ThisSmallPlanet.com Review: Conor Oberst & Phoebe Bridgers Bring Better Oblivion live to San Luis, March 11, 2019; Debut New Song "Little Trouble" (Videos)

Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers have brought their Better Oblivion Community Center show out on the road. The third show of the tour so far was last night in San Luis Obispo, California, a college town, home of Cal State Poly.

                                     ThisSmallPlanet.com Live Videos:

                                           Live Videos: "Dylan Thomas" and "Would You Rather"

Conor and Phoebe dropped the Better Oblivion Community Center album unexpectedly, then appeared on Colbert and CBS This Morning Saturday Sessions before starting this US and European tour.

The opening act, Sloppy Jane, caught a lot of people by surprise and put on a hell of a show.

Better Oblivion performed songs from the new album, as well as a Replacements cover ("Can't Hardly Wait"), Conor's classic "Lua" (which Phoebe joked was a new song she "wrote on the bus"), and two songs from Phoebe's 2017 breakthrough album Stranger In The Alps: "Would You Rather" (with Conor reprising his duet with her from the album) and "Funeral" (with Conor singing lead on a revamped punk romp, Desaparecidos-style, with Phoebe joining in on the chorus) - which had been preceded by Phoebe doing a Conor/Bright Eyes song "Bad Blood":

                                                                                          "Bad Blood"

There was also a brand new Better Oblivion song "Little Trouble". Conor explained it was meant to be available as a 7" on tour but hadn't arrived in time:

                                                                                      "Little Trouble"

Conor and Phoebe both seemed relaxed and in fine form, performing for an appreciative young audience.

Set List for Better Oblivion Community Center feat. Phoebe Bridgers & Conor Oberst, Fremont Theater, San Luis Obispo, California, Monday, March 11, 2019:

More ThisSmallPlanet.com Videos:

                                                                                       "Forest Lawn"

                                                          "Can't Hardly Wait" (The Replacements)

                                                                                            "Funeral"

It was a great show. A come back for Conor and a triumph for Phoebe. I'm sure there is much more to come from our friends at The Better Oblivion Community Center...

One of my favorite songs...

                                                                                         "Lua"

                                                                               

"Dylan Thomas" (Official Video)

ThisSmallPlanet.com live videos of Conor appearing as Bright Eyes at the Fox Theater, Oakland, April 12, 2011:

Phoebe's side project: boygenius. An indie supergroup consisting of Phoebe, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker. They released an EP in 2018. Here they are live at KEXP:

On February 13, 2019, The New York Times published an article which documented serious allegations of abusive and manipulative behavior against rocker Ryan Adams by several female artists, including Phoebe Bridgers. Phoebe later issued a further statement on Instagram as a caption on a boygenius photo:

Many fans think Phoebe's breakthrough album Stranger In The Alps contains numerous thinly-veiled references to Adams.

"Here's a song about somebody I hate..."