Conor Oberst is a true blue rock star. He has sold out shows for tens of thousands of fans across the world and is the indie poster child on the mainstream charts. So what does a rock star do on the night of his first major solo album’s release, arguably 10 years in the making?

Does he throw a huge album release party? Nah, that’s not Oberst’s style. Does he enlist the Los Angeles Philharmonic to orchestrate a performance for nearly 20,000 fans? Please, that was so last fall. Instead, indie rock’s poet laureate turned album release traditions on their head, as mere hours after Conor Oberst hit store shelves he performed at the tiny Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood, capacity 320.

Tension filled the room before the show. One question was on everybody’s lips: Will he play any Bright Eyes songs? Don’t worry, I won’t keep you in anticipation like Conor did to us — the answer was no. But with that being said, I feel like it only made the show better. It was like one of those rare first-show experiences where a brand new artist blows you away, but still had the familiarity of an old friend.

Oberst and his poncho-clad Mystic Valley Band accomplished a feat that many new artists stumble on. With one album and only 11 recorded songs to their name, how much could an audience member possibly expect? Two straight hours of dreamy, cosmic and oftentimes tragic folk rock is what we got, and it proves Oberst’s maturity as a rock veteran, even with his “new” act.

“Los Angeles and I got in a fight last night” were the first words out of Conor’s mouth Tuesday when he took the stage. “But it’s cool. We made up. The City of Angels is full of angels.”

Oberst’s adoring fans are notorious for hanging onto his every word (spoken or sung) like the gospel, and debates raged after the show about what he “really meant.” Good luck figuring it out. But the mood took a celebratory turn when someone in the audience shouted it was their birthday (seriously, why does this happen at every show?) and Conor quipped that because of the album’s release, it was his birthday too. And then, all metaphors aside, he added, “Well sh–, somebody get that kid a drink.”

The band opened with “Get Well Cards,” track three on the new album, and kept the folky vibe going with “Sausalito” and “Moab,” named after two places in Conor’s endless travels. It got me thinking how glad I was that he and L.A. had reconciled their differences, or else he might never come back. The band continued to alternate between the album cuts and other material, which I can only assume is new — “Gentleman’s Pact,” “I Gotta Reason #2” and “Synathstete” (with an amazing jam at the end) are their names according to the set list. It’s two days after the first album’s release and I’m already excited for the next one.

The performance reached a high mark when “New York City Gone, Gone, Gone” led directly into “Souled Out!!!,” which is the best part of the album as well as the live show, in my opinion. Trust me, folk music has never rocked so hard. The beautifully somber “Milk Thistle” ended the first set (and also closes out the album), and then the encore included two covers: “Everybody’s Talking,” by Harry Nilsson, and the classic standard “Corrina, Corrina.”

Conor then scooted over to the piano for the last song, “Breezy,” which, as a self-proclaimed Oberst expert, caught me by surprise. Well, on second thought, the fact that “Breezy” isn’t on the album is what surprises me most. It’s a beautiful song with one of the most epic crescendos in music (yes, I’ll back that statement up), and I defy anybody to explain why there isn’t a studio version. Whatever. Perfect way to end a perfect show.

So in the end, a band with one album managed to fill a two-hour set with 17 songs. And that’s not even the most impressive part. Over the years, Oberst has been put on a pedestal as the spokesman for a young and fed-up-with-the-world generation, thanks to songs like “When the President Talks to God.” But now he has deliberately distanced himself from the political scene (both lyrically and physically; the album was recorded in Mexico), which in my opinion shows a great deal of growth and maturity as an artist.

Becoming “Conor Oberst” instead of “Bright Eyes” is very symbolic; Oberst tackles personal demons, just like he did in Bright Eyes’ earlier days, and the results can warm or rend the heart (depending on the song, of course). It just took several months away from the United States to accomplish it. But upon his return, fans can expect a level of Oberst purity as if it were “June on the West Coast” all over again, only 10 years older and wiser. I’m personally much happier now that Oberst has exchanged his soapbox in favor of a much more personal, emotional connection with his audience. And as for Tuesday night’s show, it doesn’t get much more personal than that.

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