Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Make Chicago Crowd Sit on the Floor

On Saturday, L.A. collective Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros headlined the second night of the third annual Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival at the Congress Theater in Chicago. The band's 90-minute set mainly drew from their debut, last year's critically acclaimed 'Up From Below,' but also included three new songs.

Playing everything from the accordion to the harmonica and trumpet, the 10-piece group opened with fan-favorite '40 Day Dream.' Immediately, lead singer Alex Ebert delved into the crowd and gripped their hands as he sang to them, and kept it up throughout the show. Hopping around barefoot, Ebert sang the twinkling and jazzy melodies of 'Janglin' and followed it with the epic 'Up From Below,' which ebbed and flowed for several minutes. The toe-tapping beats of 'Home' then inspired the audience to throw their hands in the air, jump around and clap along to the anthem while 'Come in Please' kept up the momentum.

Halfway through the show, the Zeros played the newly released 'Fire and Water,' which they recorded for their new six-song iTunes Session. Singer Jade Castrinos took over vocal duties and sang the bluesy number as Ebert gently tapped the tambourine. Near the end of the set, Ebert announced they were going to play a new song they hadn't even recorded yet for their upcoming sophomore record. "This might be gibberish," he said, prefacing the untitled harmonica-laced tune. The penultimate song they performed was yet another new one, 'Man on Fire,' aka 'Come Dance With Me,' which they've been playing for a few months now. Because of the similar title, Ebert joked it was actually a Bruce Springsteen cover, referencing the Boss' classic 'I'm on Fire.'

For the band's well-documented final encore song 'Brother,' Ebert had the audience to sit down with him. After telling the fans he was going to try and walk "peacefully through the crowd," he settled into a spot in the middle surrounded by thousands of spectators. Fans obeyed and squatted amongst the beer-soaked floor and sang along to the soft song. Besides one lone guitarist, the rest of the band sat onstage instrument-less and observed as Ebert bewitched the photo-snapping crowd.