Bright Eyes singer Conor Oberst walks off stage after two songs at Houston concert
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Frontman Conor Oberst of indie rock band Bright Eyes abruptly walked off stage after performing just two songs at The Lawn at Houston’s White Oak Music Hall on Sunday, leaving audiences to perform some of the band’s songs themselves.
After performing the songs “Dance and Sing” and “Lover I Don’t Have to Love,” Oberst walked off stage, according to a report by Brooklyn Vegan. Oberst’s bandmates then allegedly enlisted fans and “big boy drinkers” from the audience to sing karaoke for a few more songs while being backed by the band, according to senior Jezebel reporter Caitlin Cruz.
“Bright Eyes played two songs. Conor Oberst left. And now the band is offering Bright Eyes Karaoke with Bright Eyes for the crowd,” Cruz tweeted, continuing with clips of audience members taking the karaoke challenge. “It’s a disaster and I appreciate the triage attempt but Jesus,” Cruz added later.
Other members of the public also documented the moment on social media. Although the band is trying to keep playing, Twitter user @destielegant said “the rest of the band are struggling and seem to be done with everything.”
“This Bright Eyes show feels like a fever dream,” another wrote. participant on Twitter. “The Bright Eyes concert is just a crowd-driven karaoke with the band,” another wrote. Twitter user. “Kudos to Houston for being a decent enough audience to figure out how to have fun no matter what.”
Oberst never returned to the stage, and the venue issued a refund and emailed ticket buyers: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Bright Eyes was unable to perform.”
Fans on social media have also noted other recent examples of similar behavior by Oberst during the band’s current tour, including audience members allegedly being reprimanded for clapping during a quiet part of a song. and his tour manager tying Oberst’s shoes on stage.
Bright Eyes has released no statement regarding the incident. Representatives for the band did not respond to a request for comment at the time of this writing.
Bright Eyes had already made tour stops in Texas over the weekend, performing in Austin on Saturday and Dallas on Friday. They are scheduled to perform Monday at the Orpheum Theater in New Orleans.