Bruce Springsteen with Conor Oberst Thunder Road - Omaha

[anniejamesannie]

I just came. UN BELIEVABLE.

[beholdthelord]

Are you kidding? I was looking forward to Conner coming in to support Bruce in this classic. Oberst totally sucked-- was ushered off the stage in discrace not knowing the words, by a condescending Stevie. Sorry Conner, I'm back to being a far bigger fan of Bruce and the band than one of your pathetic existance of an excuse for a band. Had good seats for this concert, and Bruce easily shook off your shitty showing and made an excuse concert of it.

[dakster7000]

@beholdthelord well thats warranted isn't it.

[burnz2188]

I'm a HUGE fan of both artists. But this is disrespectful, if you are going to sing on stage with a legend look up the words beforehand. Run through it a few times. Maybe not drink pre-show. Plus, I'm positive there is about three TelePrompTer's on Bruce's stage setup that have the lyrics to all songs being played on them. COMEON CONNOR! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THIS!

[EyesRolledBack]

Conor forever.

[standardyarn]

It's a shame bruce couldn't have had mariah carey up there with him do make it all sound nice and pretty. obviously he knows what the kid sounds like he fuckin toured with him for a year... anyone who thinks it's up to them to say who he can and can't play with need to get off their high horses. it's not his singing style. who cares. conor plays with lou reed in another video and it sounds fuckin bad ass. it's rock and roll

[furlong1018]

why are people upset about this. the boss is getting old and its kind of a passing the torch thing. conor is the next great songwriter. although he isnt famous in the mainstream, he has a great following in the indie scene. his songs have more meaning than springsteens but bruce's have more of a popular sound that the mainstream catches onto.

[Pawsomepup]

Connor is my Teacher, Matt Oberst's Brother!

[xkara08x]

Awesome :D Two of my favourite musicians on stage together. Wish I was there. And to people saying that he didnt deserve to be on stage with Bruce Springsteen, dont you think thats for Bruce to decide? And he was obviously cool with it. But then again if you know more about music than The Boss...

[oupsSiswideawake]

Conor Oberst is beautiful here. I read some people said it was an honour for Conor to play with Bruce Springsteen .. Maybe, but I think it was also an honour for Bruce to play with a so gifted boy. It's not because Bruce is more well-known that he's more gifted .. So, thanks to stop saying bullshit about him, whereas you don't know even one song of him.

[mayamgk0220]

Conor is the next Springsteen, as long as he stays true to his music.

[ShallowPete]

Bruce is more gifted because he's more gifted, not because he's more popular. He sings and plays better than Conor, and that's that. He's also shown an ability to write more diverse good quality music over the first decade of his career. He's not a legend because he's famous. Don't confuse him with Bono. I don't know nor care whose honor it was to do what, but Bruce is more gifted.

[reekytex]

its no gift..its all rock n roll

conor=great... bruce=legend

[phils0880]

@oupsSiswideawake

look, i really really like bright eyes alot, but the amount of talent that conor oberst has is not comparable to bruce springsteen. It was an honor indeed for conor to sing with bruce, especially such a legendary song like thunder road.

[oupsSiswideawake]

@phils0880 It's pretty funny to make a comment on this as my last one was 2 years ago, but i just wanted to say that all i wanted to say 2 ys ago - and still do, is that for me Conor Oberst has more talent than Bruce Springsteen in that way that his music speaks to me a lot more than Springsteen's. Talent depends on what music does to you i guess, and if Springsteen's music speaks to you more then for you he's more talented. I just don't share the 'Springsteen's more talented, it's a fact' idea.

[phils0880]

@oupsSiswideawake

Talent is natural ability. I think it would be hard to argue that Conor has more natural ability as a musician than Bruce Springsteen....

Nothing against Conor though....I love him but you really can't compare the two.

[oupsSiswideawake]

@phils0880 This is a little stubborn...I guess i'm stubborn too so i'm going to ask you how you would argue that Bruce Springsteen has more natural ability as a musician than Conor Oberst?

[phils0880]

@oupsSiswideawake

I would argue that Bruce just has this way of pairing story telling with music that very few other artist i have come across can do...Dylan being the master of doing this.

[Masteryre]

@phils0880 So does Oberst in fairness, in fact as lyricists a he's far more colourful and expressive than Springsteen was at the same age to be honest.

[phils0880]

@oupsSiswideawake

he didn't even know all the words. as a musician this is embarrassing.

[KleWdSide]

Compared to The Boss.. he's fucking awful.

[foolsgold01]

haha go pagoda! And obviously springsteen himself deemed Oberst to be worthy so...

[KleWdSide]

Conor Oberst is a whiny EMO boy who doesn't deserve to be on the same stage as Bruce Springsteen..

[pagoda112]

fuck you because he's really not emo at all. he's has alot of emotional songs but what artist doesnt and alot of his songs are political and just about life just like every other fucking good musician. and all of his stuff isnt emo so get your fucking facts straight. leave your opinion to yourself and your friends because no one gives a shit. and im saying this just because i hate people like you. oh and your an attention whore. dont even write back. because i rather kill myself.

[viviryder]

Some songwriters create a state of depression and melancholic inconformation as a breading ground for creativity. And the result is outstanding songs. Conor Oberst is one of them and he is one of the best songwriters of our time. Label's like "emo" etc... do not play a part in such a sublime form of art. However, even an ignorant cunt like you has the right to have his opinion respected.

[KleWdSide]

He strikes me as a watered-down version of Elliott Smith. Now, ES was easily the better songwriter...

[OnaHillWithLove]

have you heard his new album? he has really really matured with his new albums.

[coldandblank]

you are an ass.

[Funfest11]

It would have been a better moment had Conor taken the time to learn the lyrics like the other 17000 people in the Qwest center. He was an absolute embarrasment. I was in the front row and Steven Van Zandts look at Bruce was simply a "get this bum outta here" better than any he gave Tony on the Sopranos...

[iluvpeterposh1]

if you payed attention. he picks up the microphone later in the song and starts singing

[thewhoorwhom]

I never would have seen this coming haha but it's great love'em both. my dad's been listening to the boss my whole life and got me hooked and now I'm getting him hooked on Conor's music aha what a joining of generations

[kwilton214]

exactly what's going on with my dad and i.

[harvard11]

A big honor for Conor Oberst to sing the mythical Thunder Road with the Boss. He truly deserves it, as he is the world's foremost singer/songwriter. He was Rolling Stone magazine's pick as "Best Songwriter of 2008", an award he received even before he issued his great "Conor Oberst" album.

[notyourmartyr]

The Boss and Conor O? The good lord can take me now... haha. Both write great lyrics, but in very different ways. Kind of like comparing sex and fighting; both brilliant feelings, but very different.

[paxilixap]

i'd take sex over fighting any day. but yes, very different but both grand.

[downcasted]

this is not apparently not conor's type of music.

[lilaunwanted16]

I love them both!!! :)

[davemfeljude]

who is this Colon Oberweiner? he's terrific! especially his grey cardigan, professional singing voice and stage presence. Don't know about the other guy though.

[andersersand]

Do you mean connor oberst

[ObstacleTwo]

Yeah... I don't think he got the joke...

[HeidiB018]

Do you mean Conor Oberst. :|

[friendlies]

WEINER xD!

[PCPrabbit]

conor's lyrics transcend bruce's cheese on every level. there's a reason people call him the next dylan.

[davemfeljude]

write 'conor's lyrics transcend bruce's cheese on every level. there's a reason people call him the next dylan' on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope and open it in 30years. see if 'people' were right.

[PCPrabbit]

ah, you are correct! oberst should start using dated instruments like synthesizers and writing reactionary songs! or maybe pander to a densely populated state full of idiots! nebraska is bearable. nothing else is.

[davemfeljude]

q. what does the 'N' on the University of Nebraska football helmet stand for?

a. knowledge.

try Springsteen's 1982 solo album, 'Nebraska'

[PCPrabbit]

yeah that's what i meant. i actually do like that album.

[tommie66tx]

anyone heard conor oberest's new album?? it's damn good. Going to see him 2 times at AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FESTIVAL in a few weeks. SPRINGSTEEN just fucking rocks!! enough said

[indiemike79]

dude it's CONOR

not Colin

CONOR OBERST

[djference]

Springsteen is the best performer I have ever seen live, and Conor Oberst was in my top-ten until I watched this. Maybe he was drunk or high, or just really nervous. Either way, he ought to be grateful that Springsteen is a gentleman and such a professional for putting up with such a poor performance.

[arisbananatwins]

WOOOAHHH!!! WHAT IS WRONG WITH COLIN ON THIS ONE!! i love bright eyes... but he is on stage with the greatest rovk and roller there ever was and is being an ASS. the boss gave him the greatest privalge to perform with him and hes just acting like a douche,forgetting every lyric and ruining the greatest song of all time! i know colin adores bruce , but a very lazy and sad performance on his part!

[HeidiB018]

Colin.

Aha.

[thomasreid7]

Bruce is such a pro...you can see him trying to give Conor chances to sing but has to step in when Conor pulls off the mic. Give Conor a break though. The guy is super talented even if this one performance was terrible.

[ptero29]

personally, i think that its a large possibility that conor was pretty nervous. any big oberst supporters would know that the boss is one of a few artists that he respects very deeply. so being on stage and preforming with someone that you feel completely starstruck by could precipitate a less than average preformance. Conor Oberst is easily one of the greatest songwriters of all time so dont hate just appreciate or just dont listen.

[potatojuice]

does anybody have a sense of humor?geez

i dont think he messed up at all. i think he did the song just the way he wanted.

it looks like theyre both having a great time to me.

[standardyarn]

jesus would forgive you

[24Swing]

And what the hell is he doing with that banjo??!!

[24Swing]

meaning tambourine

[24Swing]

I think it's hilarious that people could defend this moron for an unforgivably awful performance. Trying to defend his performance here is like defending Brittany's at the VMAs. Don't waste our freaking time. Allow me to add some perspective here: Jesus Christ comes up to you and asks you to help him recite the 'Our Father' before dinner and you not only don't learn the words but come in jacked up on pain killers. Who's going to have trouble at the Pearly Gates? This guy.

[decayedwood]

you're an idiot

[stuthehistoryguy]

I was there, man. It was an embarassment. This video confirms what I had long suspected - ol' Conor was high as a kite. What self restraint it took for Van Zandt to keep from tossing the boy head-first off the stage!

[standardyarn]

in 20 years the same thing will happen to him. how about that

[thelibertine06]

I bet none of you guys have even heard ONE bright eyes song.

So you should all just shut up..

:)

[stuthehistoryguy]

Well, after seeing Mr. Oberst's performance, I'm not about to start downloading them now!

[JEDIMAN40]

Well, actually, Cassadaga is one of my favorite albums. I've seen Bright Eyes three times, Conor's other band once, and I've met him at two different Obama supporter deals. However, as much as I enjoy the guy, that doesn't mean he still can't mess up a Springsteen song. Can you honestly say he performed that song well?

[sacrblu]

Look at them FFS! They're both all smiles. If Bruce can enjoy it, I can't understand why his fans shouldn't.

[Sinatrixx]

Dang, folks sure take Bruce Springsteen pretty serious seeing these comments. I suppose they take Mr. Oberst a little too serious as well though.

[bayleyasher]

its just a conflict of onstage personalities. they may be friends offstage, and it was a magnanimous gesture on bruce's part. but i've always found this song to be a spiritual experience, with bruce as the pastor, though not the object of worship. but to bring some melancholy kid in who doesn't really know the song kinda fucks it up for the people who have been waiting and waiting for this moment. i dunno.

btw i'm a MUCH bigger bright eyes fan than a bruce fan. but this song is sacred.

[friendofthedevil]

I agree. Conor Oberst is not a crowd pleaser, while I think Bruce is--not in a bad way though. I've heard of conor doing HIS OWN shows and not knowing the words, etc. His asthetic involves sloppyness and being intoxicated on stage (though I'm not sure he is here) . springsteen's doesn't. I'm suprised he didn't get the words though...I think he likes springsteen.

anyway, since he didn't even do much singing, I don't see how he ruined the song!

[applebananatrees47]

really dont see what the big deal is, sorry he didn't fufill your own dreams and sing perfectly along... did you ever think maybe he was nervous? i dont follow bruce but i know conor always talks about him, and conor used to be shaking on stage few years ago so id think being up there with one of his idols he might just be a tad nervous?? its not as easy as it looks...

[particleman01]

a lot of you, not everyone, is acting really immature about it. especially "johnnydinkis2". i understand you all are big bruce fan's, but really don't say little remarks like that. if you knew conor's music, you would at least respect him for his talent. also, bruce wouldn't have invited him on stage if he wasn't a good musician. have some respect for other music, even if it isn't your style. conor honestly has some talent that no one else has. thanks for those of you who will hear me out.

[JEDIMAN40]

Conor is great, don't get me wrong. However, when you're invited to perform with another musician, the least you can do is at least figure out the words. I was there, and he just was not prepared. Add to it that probably everyone there wanted to hear this song, and had to hear a rather slipshod rendition of it, and it adds up to a pretty disappointing performance. I've seen Bright Eyes several times and have never been let down, but this one really got me bummed.

[hopeinnewsnow]

i disagree, he could've known the words but didn't want to sing. or bruce probably wanted to do it by himself. think about it. it's just stupid to say that like you know. who cares.

[ch90000]

Your point is right. It was Springsteen who invited Oberst up on stage. And he wasn't even THAT bad. Springsteen's an excellent musician and this isn't the first time that he's invited other musicians up on stage during the Magic tour...he had Arcade Fire with him in Toronto.

[midgetmark274]

Conor did not do fine. On behalf of all of us who would love to get the opportunity to perform with Bruce Springsteen but never will, I can say only this: If Bruce asks you to join him on stage to help sing one of his signature songs - you LEARN THE F**ING SONG!!!!

[particleman01]

i totally get your opinion. but don't base your opinion of conor on this video. he is an unbelieveable musician. i personally think he did fine, but i do not know bruce's music well, so i understand where you're coming from.

[midgetmark274]

I'm not a fan of Oberst's music, but I have nothing against the guy. I was at this show, and being a fellow Omahan, I thought it was cool that he came out for the encore and I wanted him to do well. He may very well be an unbelievable musician, but to go on stage as a guest of one of the most well-prepared, hardest working artists ever, and be unprepared, is a major mistake on his part. But it's been a month since the show so I guess I should get over it huh?

[awffle]

FUCK bright eyes. Conor Oberst is an whiney piece of shit.

[sappeninm8]

FUCK awffle. Awffle is an whiney piece of shit.

[RedSoxRock]

This guy didn't even know the words and there were a few great lines that went unsung. I don't know why Bruce would have him up in the first place, but why the hell did it have to be Thunder Road?! Hell, if you are going to have Conor as a guest, sing Pony Boy or something.

[samdog3927]

It was still Bruce so it was great, but Conner was awful.

[THEGILBBS]

I was there.

Conor is a great musician, no doubt, but blew this one.

[fishtale3]

Conor is Great!!!!! Special guests are never great because they aren't rehearsed. Did you expect him to nail the song and do the slide at the end too. Give him a break. I wish I'd seen it!

[JackieBUi]

He shouldnt have sang if he was going to suck. He didn't know the words, he missed important lines, including the LAST LINE OF THE SONG which is the most important part. He tried to sing this song wasted, who does he think he is, Bob Dylan? He's a douche and should stick to Bright Eyes.

[stuthehistoryguy]

I agree with you completely, and I don't understand the Conor Oberst cult of personality evidencing itself here. This is the worst performance by a professional musician I have ever seen, bar none. Oberst admirers may enjoy his core work, but this performance was indefensible.

[Thundercrack24]

why did it have to be thunder road?

[jetstyr]

Oh man this is one of my favorite Bruce songs and Mr. Bright Eyes has pretty much managed to ruin it! He didn't know the words and he looked drunk or something.

Man at least when Bruce brought Arcade Fire on stage they were actually good!

[johnnydinkis2]

Geez Bruce, if I wanted to hear some whiny tone-deaf emo ninth grader sing I'd go hang out at the seven eleven.

[downatthereservoir]

Why would Bruce allow this clown to perform on the same stage as him? This guy is a total F-up. He was WASTED on the VFC tour and was painful to watch then as he is now.

[bossfan626]

Silvio shoulda whacked him!

[ferpme]

I was there as well...and to be honest, it was much worse than the video shows. A very relieved E Street Band when Conor finally got off stage.

[devillighter]

lol strange

[JEDIMAN40]

I was at this show too. Oh man, did ol' Bright Eyes eff up this song hardcore!