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At the concert’s outset, each musician took his or her spot on stage. Instruments ranged from a horn section with a competent trombonist, to a beautiful female accordion player clad in green. After a healthy wait, the group’s frontman, Edward Sharpe (who in reality is Alex Ebert, former frontman of the neo-punk group Ima Robot) stumbled onto the stage wearing his trademark white suit and red scarf. The group opened with “Janglin’” and “40 Day Dream”, two of the hit singles off of their debut album Up from Below.

This blockbuster pairing not only warmed up Webster Hall’s capacity crowd, but Sharpe as well. It wasn’t long before he removed his firetruck red Chuck Taylors along with a weathered sports jacket, allowing him to cool off, sit down and bare his navel to thousands of concert-goers.

It wasn’t long before nearly 100 fans were jumping and bobbing with Sharpe through every note and beat.

From that point, the Magnetic Zeros’ set mimicked the track list of their LP. Each song was performed with great precision and skill, evoking powerful emotions from those on stage as well as in the audience. Although this should’ve yielded an energetic pace, things were slightly sluggish since Sharpe, unlike his bandmates, tires easily. After each song he would usually sit down, have a sip of water, rub his face along with a few sore muscles, joke with the crowd and then introduce the next piece. This process usually took over four minutes.

Surprisingly, no one in sight balked; no one’s attention drifted so greatly that they opted for texting or the quick phone call. Instead, thousands of eyes watched Sharpe’s every move wondering what he would do next. And such fascination is understandable. What other frontman, at various points during the show, dives into a wicker bag, extracts moisturizer and applies the substance to his face and bare feet?

As the show progressed, however, so did Sharpe’s connection with the crowd. He grew more comfortable and espoused the tunes playing behind him. Slowly, the cornerstone melodic whistling of “Home” crescendoed into the music hall, which was met with a thunderous applause from the audience. 80 seconds into the song, a lone fan jumped onto the stage and started dancing. She was neither ushered off by security guards nor met with fear by Sharpe and his co-vocalist Jade Castrinos. This enthusiastic music appreciator was accepted by all on stage, and acted as a catalyst for other members of the crowd to stop viewing and become a part of the concert.

It wasn’t long before nearly 100 fans were jumping and bobbing with Sharpe through every note and beat. During the song, Sharpe hugged as many supporters as possible; smiled and laughed with them; appreciated them.

Things soon slowed down as the band shifted into the soulful “Brother.” Sharpe, feeling frustrated that only a handful of the crowd could join him on stage, jumped down to the concert floor, walked to the middle of the arena sat down and asked his 2500 fellow journeymen to do the same.

He only had to ask once.

Peacefully, quietly, every member of the crowd sat around Sharpe as he sang mourning lyrics over a lone acoustic guitar: “Somewhere over the earth/A song, a song/Somewhere I have heard/My brother is gone/Away, under the moon/Brother, brother/Away, gone so soon”. Tears rolled down the cheeks of those around me as lovers and friends swayed from left to right with the gentle rhythm of Sharpe’s swooning voice.

With that, Sharpe took his rightful place at stage center, and led all those within Webster Hall onto the yellow brick road and into the Emerald city while the oddly titled “Om Nashi Me” echoed in the night. The only thing that could be interpreted over the fast-paced melodies and heavy beats was Castrinos’s soothing vocal loop: “I love you/And I love you forever/And I’m loving you now”. It was a tribute to the listeners. A genuine thank you. A mutual embrace.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros do not simply provide a concert, but an unparalleled musical experience. As much as I tried to remain objective ,I could not help but become immersed in the musical paradise that formed around me. I have no criticism to offer; no fault to find, and can only say that this is possibly the best band touring America today.

See them.

Review by Matt Thomas