Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros at Olympia Theatre

Within my time in Dublin, I told myself I definitely wanted to see at least one show, not including traditional music pub sessions, but a more formal concert either by a local, well known group or an American band on world tour. I got lucky with the timing of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros show on Tuesday, July 17th at the Olympia Theatre, located on Dame Street.
     
I have actually seen them live before. They had a show in the Milwaukee Summerfest 2011 lineup, and I went, fairly excited, with a couple of friends. Up From Below had been one of my favourite records since its release, really. And the song Home, of course, was an anthem that meant so much to me: it is whistling and screaming at tour buses while sitting on Fifth Avenue with your best friend from Texas and having everyone think you're crazy; it's singing along with your brother while on vacation and loving the lyrics over and over; it's falling in love with someone new and believing in happiness; it's meeting new, forever lasting friends and taking over New York City; it's some of the most honest, storytelling and heartfelt words that can mean anything, anywhere... "home is whenever I'm with you."
     
And all of this I was expecting to both soak up and release while standing on the metal benches at the Summerfest stage. The hippie clan of a shifting 10-12 member group hypnotized me when they walked out on stage in summer dresses and long hair and hats and guitars and bongos and the like. It was a Wisconsin summer. I had hair down to my arse and was wearing a bow and a skirt that reached to my toes that I could wiggle in my Birkenstock sandals. I was ready to dance and sing and feel everything I felt whenever I listened to their hazy, choral melodies over and over with an involuntary sway in my body. The atmosphere was perfect, their appearance was perfect; I was ready for a wonderful show.
     
And a wonderful show I did not get.
     
Everything seemed lackluster and maybe I had too high expectations. Maybe they hadn't toured that much before, but I knew that to be a lie. Maybe they were faded and jaded and weren't feeling the Milwaukee love. Or maybe it's the simple fact that their record did not translate live. This seemed the most unlikely option, however, because there were 10 people on stage! They had everything they needed! Except perhaps the joy of performing for us. I didn't want to believe it, but that's how it all felt. I left downtown very disappointed.
     
And so, a year later, I decided to give them another chance. Some other friends were going, so I decided to hop on board. They came out with a new record at the end of May this year that really impressed me; I was excited to hear it live. Here (the 2012 album) is the more pop version of Up From Below, but also the more experimental version in regards to using all members of the band to really create a solid sound, more articulate than the previous record, but also just as genuinely Edward Sharpe as it could be.
     
I am happy to say that this time 'round made up for whatever was last summer's poor excuse. I sat in the upper circle where the acoustics of their hymns filled my ears and melted my heart. They opened with the first track from their first LP, which seemed appropriate and is one of my favourite songs by them (you can find the entire setlist here, on the awesome site I have come to know and love, setlist.fm), with a powerful row on the drums to finish it and the theatre exploded in an ecstasy of praise, I could almost hear the smiles of those surrounding me; it was all too real. They expressed gratitude and excitement about being back in Dublin. "We've been marathoning, having a Guinness every half hour. All day." Of course no one actually believed Alex Ebert, but Irish pride still resounded as a reaction to this statement. Everyone on stage, admittedly, seemed a little bit drinksy, but in that spirited Irish sense, not in a messing-up-the-lyrics-can't-even-play-guitar-too-wasted sense.
     
The music continued, the dancing on stage, and the sometimes impromptu jam sessions within songs where they would carry out instrumental glory and then return back to their unison singing. This is what The Magnetic Zeros are supposed to be about. Even the stuff from their new album fit seamlessly into the rest of the setlist, even the stuff from Alex's solo album, Alexander, adapted perfectly to the group. The best song played that night, however, surprisingly enough was not Home (although it is pretty damn hard to beat the feeling of pure, communal hippie love and real sentiment that you can almost see in the haziness leaking from the stage, intoxicating everyone with a laughing gas of pure joy when that song is played). Rather, it was a song they have never recorded, and are known to only play live, called "If You Wanna," that invites everyone to sing and dance and live, just like Cat Stevens, but in a more sing-a-long kids show version of it.  And they sure as hell got everyone to sing, and dance, and clap and laugh and love. Everyone out of their seats, fans or not. At this point, some audience members nearby whipped out sparklers, lit them up, and let them shine in the darkness of the balcony. Even strict security couldn't stop them; they couldn't break through the hugging and jumping barricades of purely happy humans. It was.......... wonderful. Just wonderful. :)
     
And so The Magnetic Zeros left me in musical awe, when every single member on stage got a solo (yes that is 10 solos... the two full drum sets counting as one, going back and forth and working off of each other, it was incredible... also including my first ever trumpet solo outside of high school band concerts that was absolutely glorious), when Alex and Jade wrapped their arms around each other and sent lyrics back and forth and out and throughout body and soul, when everyone was both singing and dancing and playing instruments on stage, everything! The reality of it all is that... I may never actually go to see them again, because I don't want to ruin the image that was truly such an excellent concert experience while in Dublin.
     
I took this photo of them with Instagram: