Posted on Monday 30 November 2009
I spent the majority of the Thankgiving holiday weekend back in Madison. It was hard to pass up the amazing triple bill featuring Local Natives, Fool’s Gold, and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Our Milwaukee friends will recall the Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros show at Club Garibaldi in Milwaukee, which already cracked my list of favorite shows from 2009.
I have to say that walking away I was probably most impressed with Local Natives set. It reminded me a lot of seeing Fleet Foxes amongst a dismal early crowd at the High Noon Saloon so that live band Karaoke could throw down later that night. You just have a feeling in your gut you’re seeing a band that is on the cusp of big things. Of course, any band that trots out a cover of the Talking Heads “Warning Sign” gets major props from me.
Fool’s Gold set was a thrill to watch. It started when a single pretty girl jumped on stage and started dancing. One song later and the band disappeared amongst, by my count, double digit numbers of bodies dancing on stage. Anyone whose been to a show at the High Noon Saloon can understand that a band the size of Fool’s Gold and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros already leaves little room for surplus, so these added people made for quite the visual spectacle. People absolutely loved them and rightly so. Their sound, as you can see/hear embodies a lot of African influence which I’m sure will continue to get the easy Vampire Weekend/Paul Simon comparisons. To me, they reminded me a lot of seeing Rusted Root back in the 90′s – that’s not a bad thing at all – those shows were packed with energy and everyone in the audience was in a constant state of motion.
By the time Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros hit the stage after midnight the audience was pretty well tapped out. I think their set suffered as a result. It’s hard to argue against the brilliance of their album Up From Below, songs like “Home,” “Janglin” and “Carries On” were, and continue to be, rock anthems able to resuscitate the tiredest audiences back from their sleepy state. Overall, nobody could argue with the $10 price of admission. It was definitely the most-packed show I’ve ever been to at the High Noon Saloon. Good times.
Discuss: What did you think of Saturday night’s show in Madison? Who put on the best set? Drop a comment with your thoughts/reviews of the show.
Previously: Photos: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Club Garibaldi, Milwaukee
Previously: Fool’s Gold :: Surprise Hotel
Previously: Daytrotter :: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Buy: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
