Fans Concerned for Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst After His Worrying Onstage Behavior

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Fans have expressed deep concern for the well-being of Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst after he exhibited disturbing onstage behaviour during recent performances.

In particular, fan footage from the band’s Sunday, Sept. 15 concert in Cleveland, Ohio, shows Oberst, 44, slurring his words on stage as he talks to the audience. At one point, he stopped the song and told both the audience and his bandmates that he couldn’t remember part of a verse.

In another disturbing moment, Oberst apologized to the crowd for his “voice being so fucked up,” saying he was “going to kill myself” over it. The remark prompted one of his bandmates to immediately whisper something to him. In response, Oberst, still slurring his words, told the crowd, “I’m clearly not supposed to say that on stage… I mean, I’m not going to kill myself.”

“I’m worried about Conor Oberst,” one person wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Man, this Conor Oberst video is fucking intense,” another user shared. “It feels like we’re watching something scary happen in real time.”

“This Conor Oberst thing is so, so sad. I hope he gets the help he needs,” another person wrote on Twitter. “Jesus.”

The band has already canceled three upcoming shows, citing Oberst’s loss of voice as the reason.

“We are sad to announce that our upcoming album release shows have been cancelled,” said Bright Eyes, whose new album, Five dice, all threewill be released on Friday — the band announced on Instagram on Tuesday, September 18. “The warm-up shows we did earlier this week resulted in Conor losing his voice and, on the advice of his doctors, we have made the difficult but prudent decision to prioritize rest and recovery for the rest of the month.”

While fans are particularly concerned about Oberst’s fate in light of the band’s recent shows, others say the musician has been exhibiting similar, troubling behavior for years, if not decades.

“I saw him about 21 years ago and his bandmates literally had to hold him up. It was awful,” one person on X claimed.

“I saw them live two years ago and he was in terrible shape,” shared another user X. “It really made me worry about him, I hope he gets the help he needs, such a talented guy.”

While fans have speculated about the reasons behind Oberst’s onstage behavior, neither he nor the band have issued any statements beyond the news that he has lost his voice.

Overall, Bright Eyes fans just want their favorite singer to feel good again.

“I hope his team cancels the rest of the Bright Eyes tour so Conor Oberst can get the help he clearly needs,” one fan wrote.

“Conor Oberst is a very talented guy and I hope he can handle whatever is going on,” another shared.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or struggling with mental health issues, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.