Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros at The Regent Theatre (5/7/2009)

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset or maybe The Regent Theatre isn't the best venue, or maybe I wasn't close enough to the stage, because a bunch of people were seriously into it: jumping up and down, clapping, etc. I'm guessing it was a combination of all three that hindered my appreciation.

It seems like The Zeros may be somewhat of a "cult" band. I don't mean this in a bad way at all; I just mean that if you like them and give yourselves over to them you're a lifer, but if you aren't feeling it you might be bored. I would similarly characterize The Polyphonic Spree: either you love(d) them or you didn't care for them. But with The Spree I was drawn in almost immediately at their amazing CMJ Music Marathon set in Brooklyn back in 2002 (it definitely helped that the Spree played in a great performance space with their choir singing behind illuminated stained glass above the rest of the band, but that show is still one of the best things I've ever seen).

So I'm still reserving judgment on Edward Sharpe; I didn't get drawn in on Thursday night, but hopefully I will in the future.