Oh so bright

Night 2 of "Concert Going with Spec and Jack" was even better than night 1. First off, we were accompanied on our outing by the lovely Cordelia (a fact which would make any night that much better). Secondly, we were able to sit down on comfortable chairs. That may not seem like much, but after many hours of standing/sitting on a wooden plank at Little Brothers on Monday, some cushy seats were very welcomed. The three of us headed on another brisk walk into the cold Columbus night, nearly slipping on the snow and falling to our fine behinds, before ending up at everyone's favorite used music emporium Used Kids. While I did end up buying two CDs, they (sadly) didn't have the bands I was looking for. I guess the obscurity of the bands hurt my search.
With packages in hand (Cordelia also made a purchase, thanks to yours truly) we walked down to the Wexner, excited for the concert we were about to see. Ahead of us, stumbling, laughing, and nearly falling over, were four very drunk kids (probably 16-18). They brilliantly displayed the invention of anti-lock breaks as they ran into the road as oncoming traffic beared down on them. Four cars squealed to a halt as the kids stumbled across the road. So close. As we crossed after them (waiting until the blinky guy on the light told us we could) we saw one of them lean over and throw up whatever he had been drinking. It was quite gross and burbley (that's the only word I could think to describe it) and set a trend for the entire night.
After checking our coats at the coat check and our urine at the bathrooms, we headed into the theater. Jack had done a wonderful job with the tickets and we were right up front (only about 9 rows back). Thanks Mr. Thunder for your good work. After a little while, the lights went dim and the concert began. It was promptly 8 o'clock and (because punctuality is so unlikely at concerts) only half the seats were filled. People milling about outside the theater were probably surprised to hear the crowd cheering and music playing as Tilly and the Wall took the stage. Tilly was great, as we all knew they'd be (having seen them in Cleveland with Rilo Kiley and Now It's Overhead not too long ago). There was singing, clapping, and (of course) tap dancing. While their set was rather short, it was passionate and fun-filled. The audience filled in most of the seats by the time the set was finished, making us all eager to hear the next band.
When CocoRosie took the stage there was a slight hesitation in the audience. All that could be seen was a pull down movie screen and the shadowed outline of three figures on stage. The band began and the wonderment continued. They were an interesting combination of guitar, keyboard, and vocal instrumentation (along with a bevy of electronic toy sounds). I liked the music (as did Jack and Cordelia) but, unlike the others, I was put off by one of the lead singer's voices. If anyone knows Victoria Williams, you'll know what kind of voice I am talking about. Bad voices aside, I was entertained by the band (especially when the other female lead singer was singing). They were talented, but made me a little sleepy. That sleepiness, however, was shocked out of my system when the guy sitting in front of us (who looked about two inches from death) threw up after CocoRosie left the stage. Once again, it was a lovely experience, full of chunky peach-smelling fluids. It wasn't until about 10 minutes later that anyone said or did anything (no one but me seemed to notice). When the janitor came and finally cleaned up the mess, the smell had permeated the air and everyone could tell that someone had puked.
With that wonderful odor floating around us, Bright Eyes took the stage. This was what we were here for, and no amount of teenage vomit would deter us. Connor Oberst (lead singer, songwriter, all around amazing guy) was nothing short of brilliant. Jack, Cordelia, and I were all expecting a very short set, with few (if any songs) that were not from the new album but we were wrong. The set was not Bob Schneider length, but it was plenty. Oberst opened with the first three songs from the new album "I'm Wide Awake It's Morning" (which worried me since I feared that he would just play the whole album, in order, then walk off stage). After that, however, he stepped away from the mike, put down his guitar, and sat down at the keyboard to play "A Scale, A Mirror, and These Indifferent Clocks" from an earlier album. After that the set was a nice mix of new and old stuff. Connor sang with a clarity that is sometimes missing from the recorded albums, which pleased us all. Having listened to the new album repeatedly in the past week, I was able to recognize most of the new songs he played, which is always a good thing. The whole band was very focused, able to ignore the idiotic chants and shouts from the audience. After playing for a while, they took their bows and walked off stage. A few minutes later Connor returned and played a song or two before being joined by the rest of the band for a raucus finale which ended in Connor standing on the drum set while playing his guitar. As the song ended he stepped/fell off of the set, tossing his guitar to the ground and knocking some of the drums over. It was very rock and roll. And there was no vomiting.
All in all it was a kick ass night. Thanks again to Jack and Cordelia. And to Tilly, CocoRosie, and Bright Eyes.