A shimmery, palpable joy rippled through a sea of bodies as the lights in New Orleans’ Mahalia Jackson Theatre dimmed.
In one ephemeral moment, a rosy glow lit an oversized lantern hanging above the stage to reveal the 12-person harmony of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros.
Frontman Alex Ebert began the nearly three-hour set with a song-and-dance to “Man on Fire,” off the band’s sophomore album “Here.”
He danced across the stage —almost gliding — and encouraged everyone to follow his lead. As he swayed, the crowd swayed. As he sang, the crowd sang.
Edward Sharpe coolly journeyed through the set, weaving in and out of its new material, and the crowd followed along in unified motion. Strangers held hands and passionately chanted at Ebert’s command. People flooded the aisles, drawing closer to the stage and yearning for a more intimate connection to the music and band.
But who could blame them? It’s hard not to fall victim to the folkish charm of the band’s acoustic, almost ’60s hymns. Without thought, toes start tapping along to “Dear Believer.”
Regardless of the notions typically associated with Edward Sharpe, the show wasn’t a hippy- extravaganza or a fracas of too many people onstage just making noise. There were people, there was music, and it all coincided in a very unique harmony.
The greatest and most tender moments throughout the show, though, were the quick points during songs like “That’s What’s Up” when Ebert and vocalist Jade Castrinos turned to each other to sing, getting completely lost in the music they were creating.
Between songs, Ebert paced across the stage, seemingly falling out of his boisterous character, mumbling brow-raising statements toward the crowd.
Before long, he began grabbing jovial members of the audience and pulling them onstage, adding more people to the already overflowing stage.
Even when security officers tried to escort audience members offstage, Ebert stopped them and encouraged the new additions to the band to continue dancing. And then more joined to create a carefully-constructed mess of excitement.
The set closed with deeply emotional rendition of “Om Nashi Me,” appropriately closing on a quiet but profound note.
The unbridled happiness that emanated from the collaboration of the band and audience filled the entire theatre, transforming a typical evening out into a festival of friendship and fun.
