Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

I've been pretty excited about this concert for quite some time now. When the Magnetic Zero's debut album first came out two years ago, I listened to it almost non-stop for about a year straight. Well, maybe not non-stop, but at least once daily.

Now I have to shamefully confess that I am one of those music snobs who finds the allure of a certain band fades once they've hit mainstream. It's not that I don't want bands to succeed, it just the music seems to lose a bit of its intimate nature when it's being played on six top 40 radio stations simultaneously and showing up in every third commercial on tv.

And so some of the magic of this album has faded for me, but deep down I still really love the music. And so does every teenager and college student in Salt Lake City apparently. I was feeling really old standing amid a sea of near-children waiting for the band to take stage.

Three giddy high school girls standing to the left of me could hardly contain their excitement. I think it may have been their first concert. "Do you know this band?," one of them asked me. "Yeah." "Do you like their music?" "Yeah, I mean they only have the one album out so far, but it's pretty tight. I should be a pretty fun little concert." "Yeah, we don't really know any of their music, we just like that one 'Home' song on the radio." --- Yeah, that's what I mean about a band losing its allure. I could feel my enthusiasm for this concert draining.

And then the band took stage and the lead singer, Alexander Ebert came prancing out, looking a bit like a Pentecostal tent rival preacher, a brainwashed Hare Krishna convert and a Whirling Dervish and I was immediately annoyed by this 'pie in the sky' hippie. As the crowd pressed in pushing and shoving their way forward I thought about leaving, but I have to admit, within minutes I was transfixed by this spasmodic eccentric.

Hippie or not, he's a heck of a performer and the music is still as good as it was when I started listening to it two years ago.

I have been converted. I see the light. He is not a tent-revival preacher, not a Hare Krishna follower, but a musical prophet.

If he can walk on a sea of adoring fans, he can't be that far off from walking on water, can he? Which reminds me -- check out this video for the song "Truth" from his solo album:

So in the end, I was more than happy I stayed, although I really DO NOT see the point of moshing to "Home" I guess that is the old curmudgeon coming out in me.

Worth mentioning also was the opening act --The Entrance Band. They have a sound that channels both 1960s psychedelia and surf garage rock at the same time.

I thought they were pretty killer as well, but I think this is one of those few times I am going to have to say the headliner edged out the opening act.