Photo taken by Crystal Jenks

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are no strangers to BestNewBands.com – Cervante Pope profiled the group in early August, and Lauren Novik caught them at L.A.’s Sunset Junction a couple weeks ago. An avid ES&MZ fan myself, I jumped at the opportunity to watch the gang’s Eugene concert at the WOW Hall. After all, how often does such a “magnetic” bunch visit this state?

ES&MZ wasn’t originally scheduled to perform in Oregon, according to Stewart Cole, master trumpeter/percussionist/supporting vocalist, but three shows were added before Bumbershoot in Seattle. When asked if their indie music scene was unique to the West Coast, Cole noted the band’s fortuitous following throughout the rest of the country. “We’ve been really surprised with our fans in places like Minneapolis and Charleston – even in New York, which is the least, you’d think, ‘huggy-huggy’, but the shows are crazy and the fans are awesome.”

Eugene’s sold-out show began with Lulacruza, a folk/electronica duo from Colombia and Argentina. With Luis Maurette’s eclectic rhythms and Alexandra Ortiz’s hypnotic vocals, Lulacruza set the transcendent mood for the evening.

 

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After a relatively short intermission, ES&MZ took the stage and treated the crowd to a rousing “40 Day Dream.”

 

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Maybe it was Lauren’s observations at Sunset Junction, or maybe it was just the feeling of being in the crowd, but throughout the night I kept thinking, “wow, Alex [Ebert, lead vocalist] really does look like Jesus…” Now, before you religious folks start sending me hate mail: watch this clip of “Up From Below” and tell me he doesn’t look like a clairvoyant reaching out to the masses, who clung to every lyric like it was divine truth.

 

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Whatever energy the band put out, they received tenfold. Concertgoers jumped, swayed and danced to favorites such as “Janglin,’” “Carries On” and “Om Nashi Me.” By the time ES&MZ played “Home,” the band’s most successful single, the crowd was a hot-but-happy mess. When the show ended, cries and stomps for an encore echoed throughout the dancehall for what seemed like an eternity, until finally the group came back onstage and performed not one, but three extra songs for the ever-exhilerated crowd.

The encore was most arguably the best part of the concert. At one point, Ebert started pulling people in the front row onto the stage, after which he jumped offstage and dozens of crowdmembers (myself included) hopped onstage, falling over one another and almost tipping over the speakers on the edge of the stage. Ebert instructed the audience to sit down during the last song, “Brother,” and promised to meet-and-greet with everyone later – which he and all the ES&MZ members gracefully did after the show.

 

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If you want to catch ES&MZ at their upcoming Portland shows, you’re out of luck: the concerts have sold out, but you might be able to find someone selling their tickets before the shows start. The group will play Seattle’s Bumbershoot before touring the Midwest and East Coast in October. Until their return, Pacific Northwest fans will keep Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros close to their hearts – a place any band would be proud to call home.

Photo taken by Crystal Jenks