NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 12: Bright Eyes returns to Nashville as they headline Brooklyn Bowl. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
Bright Eyes have returned to Nashville in support of their latest album, 2025’s Kids Table, and have more than a few tricks up their sleeves. Their last show in town came in April of 2022 as part of the reunion tour, a run of shows that came a decade after they went on an indefinite hiatus. Now reunited once again, the band is also celebrating twenty years of their seminal 2005 albums I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, two of the most iconic and influential albums in the emo and folk punk world.
Oberst and company kick off the night rather melancholically with “Don’t Know When But a Day is Gonna Come,” a deep cut from 2002’s LIFTED or the Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground. Despite creaking open with just Oberst on his guitar, attention was quickly drawn to the rest of the band’s familiar faces as it was the same lineup that had just opened the night up under the moniker Lullaby For The Working, a recently reunited indie-folk act from Bright Eyes’ own Omaha, Nebraska. Oberst described the moment as “a dream of mine I’ve had for so long,” with the two bands long being intertwined despite the near thirty-year hiatus.
“Don’t Know When But a Day is Gonna Come” is simultaneously both warm and inviting while maintaining a gritty edge that keeps listeners at bay—it’s a dichotomy Bright Eyes use relentlessly across their folk-tinged punk discography. The song maintains a subtle build as it slowly swells, patiently letting the song’s elements piece together as Oberst’s angst grows. The instrumentation eventually comes crashing in with the song’s pop, a satisfying payoff and excellent start to the show that gets the crowd fired up from the jump.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 12: Bright Eyes returns to Nashville as they headline Brooklyn Bowl. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
“Classic Cars” rounded out the band’s opening foray with some Country & Western inspired sounds and a sonic shift into the band’s less downtrodden skill set. Ripped from 2007’a Cassadaga, it’s a rather upbeat track for the emo legends, with warm organ from Nate Walcott adding onto the band’s already well fleshed out audio palette. The song is largely driven by Mike Mogis’ acoustic guitar, a delicate flair riding high in the mix overtop the hard-hitting rock elements of the song.
The big surprise of the night was the surprise appearance by Phoebe Bridgers during the encore. Fresh off a two-night stint at Bridgestone Arena, Phoebe was a massive pull for the club play. It really shouldn’t come as much surprise, Bridgers and Oberst have been longtime friends and collaborators; the two previously partnered up for their collaborative project Better Oblivion Community Center. While one might expect the duo to perform a track from that album, what they did together was far more of a treat: the pair performed “Lua” from I’d Wide Awake, It’s Morning. Their performance was an absolute masterclass, with their delicate vocals intertwining in an effortless swirl, each voice playing off the other with such precision yet maintaining a casual flair. It truly was a remarkable moment that is going to stick firmly in the minds of the audience.
Setlist
Don’t Know When But a Day is Gonna Come
False Advertising
Classic Cars
Hot Knives
Bowl of Oranges
No One Would Riot For Less
Arc of Time (Time Code)
From a Balance Beam
Well Whiskey
Arienette
Cleanse Song
Approximate Sunlight
Trees Get Wheeled Away
Laura Laurent
Cartoon Blues
Dance and Sing
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The Vanishing Act
Lua [ft. Phoebe Bridgers]
Make War
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 12: Bright Eyes returns to Nashville as they headline Brooklyn Bowl. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
Bright Eyes’ 2026 is winding down, with just a handful of dates stretched across Texas and the plains left on the books. However, the band will be quick to return in 2027 with a trio of largely sold-out shows in New York where they’ll be playing their albums I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn back-to-back in full.
You can find tickets to Bright Eyes’ upcoming tour dates here.
2026
Oct 13 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitina’s*
Oct 15 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheatre*
Oct 16 – Dallas, TX – The Studio at The Bomb Factory*
Oct 17 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman*
Oct 18 – St. Louis, MO – The Sovereign*
Oct 20 – Omaha, NE – The Admiral Theater*
2027
Jan 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount^ [SOLD OUT]
Jan 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount^ [SOLD OUT]
Jan 14 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Paramount^
* w/ Lullaby For The Working Class
^ performing I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn in full
$1.00 from every ticket supports the Poison Oak Project, Bright Eye’s charitable initiative dedicated to advancing equity for LGBTQ+ people, with a particular focus on supporting the trans community.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - October 12: Bright Eyes returns to Nashville as they headline Brooklyn Bowl. (Photo by Dylan Basden for Pretty Nifty)
As time goes on, the widespread influence that Bright Eyes have cultivated over the years throughout indie rock, emo, folk, and alternative-country has become harder and harder to deny. There are so many acts today that owe at least some of their sound to Bright Eyes; Waxahatchee, Wednesday, and Big Thief have all taken the world by storm and can trace a fair share of their influence back to the band. Phoebe Bridgers, one of the biggest acts in the world, has repeatedly cited the band as an influence and her special guest appearance seemed to really cement that sentiment. This is a band that may not have the streaming numbers or the social media presence of their contemporaries, but they certainly have the hearts and minds. Bright Eyes and Conor Oberst are musicians’ musicians, they are the cream of the crop and are without a doubt one of the driving forces behind some of the best music since the turn of the century.