Contained in the white-washed brick walls of the Lyric Theatre is a historic spirit of the past that the likes of Faulkner and the last of the southern aristocrats have reveled in. But a week ago, Wednesday, Sept. 24, two recording artist gave us the history and the ghost. Jenny Lewis brought that spirit back to Oxford and Conor Oberst reminded us of the historic task at hand.
A thousand footsteps hit the floor that night and all in beat with the rose lights and bobbing heads all cast in an opaque shadow of the back lit stage. Lewis’s honky-tonk flavored spirituals and the yawns and caws of a steel guitar made the moment at hand seem far away. In reality that moment was only two days away; the first presidential debate was being held in Oxford on Friday.
The too-far-gone couples swayed and held spindly intertwined fingers and plastic cups above their heads, disregarding the sloshing golden liquid. The presence of the burly security guards was dimmed in comparison to the overwhelming melodies and chords from Lewis and her folk twang gang. The moment was slipping further away…
Before Oberst even took the stage, the moment came rushing back to Oxonians. Technicians arranging the bulky sound equipment on stage, placed a speaker cabinet with florescent tape arranged in jagged lines, which read “Obama, USA.”
Oberst and his thin form and cracking voice took the stage and soon he was reminding show-goers of the latest upset in Oxford’s debate plans.
“I feel like a lot of people in this town got their bubble burst, talking on their cell phones, saying ‘What the (expletive)’,” Oberst said from stage after a few songs. “I only have one explanation…[McCain]’s a coward!”
But the night’s finale at the Lyric ended just as debate week did. It all ended in accordance to plan: they showed up, played their part, and got out of town.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment