Minutes before the start of the set, two girls who were much too clean to have been at Bonnaroo for a day and a half squeezed their heads through the crowd and ended up dangerously close to my armpits. Seeing my camera, they struck up a battle of the know-it-alls and told me confidently that "Home" would be the first song played. At this point, every one of the Magnetic Zeros were assembled haphazardly about the stage waiting for frontman Alex Ebert to appear. I told the girls dressed in boho chic that the band would most likely not start out with their radio hit, but rather keep it classy with a "Janglin" opening followed by "40-Day Dream."
When Ebert flowed/stumbled onto the stage, shirtless with hair tangled high, my set prediction rang true. It is incredible that not even a year after recording their first full length album, this harmonious group of hippies-nouveau has become such a sensation. Incredible, but not surprising. The live show, though riddled with disjointed confessions between songs from Ebert explaining, "We don't know which song to play next," was a twist and shout treat. The harmonies between right-hand lady Jade Castrinos and Ebert were rich and full, backed by one billion piece melodies from the other 8 band members. After the show I was filled with so many indie folk-inspired vibes that I momentarily forgot I was crammed into a tent with two tweens in my armpits. All in all a good afternoon.
