Bright Eyes & Cursive

April 27, 2025 – The Astro – La Vista, NE

On Sunday night, April 27, 2025, hometown heroes Bright Eyes and Cursive lit up The Astro in La Vista, Nebraska with an unforgettable show.

The night kicked off with Cursive, and they came out swinging. Now a seven-piece powerhouse, the band features frontman Tim Kasher on vocals and guitar, Matt Maginn on bass, Ted Stevens on guitar and vocals, Patrick Newbery on keys and various instruments, Megan Siebe on cello, and both Pat Oakes and founding member Clint Schnase on drums. Their performance was bursting with energy and intensity. With over 161,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Cursive continues to impress—and their latest album, Devourer, is definitely one to check out.

Fantastic way to kick off the evening!

After a brief intermission, it was time for Bright Eyes.

In case you’re not familiar, Bright Eyes is an indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, led by singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, along with longtime collaborators Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott. Known for their emotionally raw lyrics and unique blend of folk, rock, and experimental sounds, Bright Eyes first broke through in the early 2000s with albums like Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground and I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. In 2005, I’m Wide Awake and its sister album Digital Ash in a Digital Urn were both released on the same day, a bold move that paid off—I’m Wide Awake became a defining album of indie folk in the 2000s.

The band has been critically acclaimed for years, and Conor Oberst has been praised as one of the best songwriters of his generation. Bright Eyes won the PLUG Independent Music Award for Album of the Year in 2006 and has charted multiple times on the Billboard 200. After a long hiatus, they made a big return in 2020 with the album Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, showing they still have that same poetic fire.

These guys were great! They put on an absolutely beautiful show. Oberst sounded amazing—his voice was raw, emotional, and full of that signature intensity fans love. Whether he was strumming an acoustic guitar or tearing into an electric one, every song hit just right. The lighting was subtle and moody, setting the perfect tone for the night without ever being over the top. The crowd was fully locked in, singing along to the lyrics and hanging on every word. It was one of those shows that felt personal, even in a big venue like The Astro.

If you ever get the chance to see Cursive or Bright Eyes live, make sure you do. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

Bright Eyes Setlist: