Thursday, June 10, 2010

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Live Review - HOB Cleveland

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros frontman Alex Ebert often claims he’s trying to evoke his inner child in his music. And last night, the raucous audience at House of Blues felt the kiddie vibes, jumping around like a bunch of toddlers on a sugar high.

Sneaking joints instead of candy, the crowd of twentysomethings danced around with abandon, not noticing when mops of hair scratched their neighbors and certainly not hesitating to gyrate right in front of one another to get to the middle of the action.

The ten-member band started the set with “Up From Below,” the title track of their 2009 debut album, and continued with “Janglin.” Jade Castrinos, who shares lead vocal duties with Ebert, serenaded a woman and her baby on stage, explaining it was a song for kids.

Throughout the night, Edward Sharpe played most of Up From Below, plus a couple of new tunes. One of them sounded like a warmer, free-spirited Sigur Ros, reeling with primal percussion and repetitive vocals that recalled a tribal chant.

“Desert Song,” a number that sounds eerie and ominous on record, breathed with vibrancy in the live setting. Ebert jumped around while his nine bandmates pumped seemingly endless energy into their instruments.

When the L.A.-based band closed with “Home,” the crowd exploded with joy, jumping up, clapping manically, and shouting with glee as Stewart Cole blasted a trumpet solo worthy of a king’s entrance.

But last night there was no king. There was a village, and ten very talented song leaders.

For the last song, Jade brought the baby back on stage, holding her on her hip as she crooned “Home is wherever I’m with you.” And in that moment, that’s where we all were. We were home.

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