Three of today's best indie-folk songwriters--M. Ward [ tickets ], Jim James [ tickets ] (My Morning Jacket [ tickets ]) and Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes [ tickets ])--each brought a distinct voice to San Diego's Spreckels Theatre Wednesday night (10/13).

As opposed to the typical concert format of opener, intermission, headliner, the evening was a true collaboration. At times the audience was treated to solo performances, at others duets, and, most often, performances by all three (including help from producer Mike Mogis).

On a sparsely lit stage littered with guitars, M. Ward kicked off the evening with some impressive instrumental work. Walking the length of the stage while beating at his guitar, Ward showed that, despite a certain mastery of looping guitar effects on his recorded material, this performance would be about straght playing. Ward's vocals, although strong in range, could be most easily compared to a gritty sounding Nick Drake, particularly in his somber reading of David Bowie's "Let's Dance." Somber was definitely the tone of the set, with such songs as "Sad, Sad Song" and "Undertaker."

Jim James was introduced to duet with Ward on "Outta My Head," from Ward's debut, "Transfiguration of Vincent," a pairing that rekindled the fervor that Ward began the show with, and was a perfect set up for James.

Well tuned on the heels of a huge summer/fall tour with My Morning Jacket, James took the stage with ease. The mood of the attentive audience was lifted when he described the tour as "The monsters of folk--striving each week to serve you the best folk music for your dollar." James' vocals proved haunting, and ethereal, washing over the crowd in beautiful highs and lows. Songs such as "The Bear" and "Bermuda Highway"--thanks to their country tinge and James' falsetto--took the tone of many Neil Young classics, but proved powerful in their own right.

The lead-in to the Conor Oberst portion of the show saw James joined onstage by his tourmates for a rendition of My Morning Jacket's "Golden" which would be one of the finest points of the evening.

Oberst, a.k.a. Bright Eyes, can be easily described as the poster boy for the disaffected youth of America, and the audience, primarily teen, was clearly there to see him. His lyrics of depression, lost love and drug abuse are discounted by some critics as the ramblings of another whiny pop singer, but Oberst's lyrics and the signature warble in his voice represent true feelings that emanate through his audience on one level or another. Oberst garnered the largest response of the night as he sang, spit and screamed though a show-stopping "Waste of Paint."

Having just returned from the "Vote for Change" tour with Bruce Springsteen, it was not surprising to hear Oberst encourage the crowd to vote, while labeling the president a "lunatic." Oberst's rant was a bit over the top, but his follow-up, "One Foot In Front of the Other" spoke volumes, as the lyrics described a "televised war" and children play-fighting in the streets.

The evening ended with all three performers returning to the stage. James offered a beautiful cover of the Elvis Presley-popularized "You Were Always on My Mind." All three performers then fittingly paid homage to Bob Dylan by trading verses on "Girl from the North Country."