Despite the chilling temperatures that set in Friday night, The Knocks and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros received a warm reception from UF students.
About 3,500 students attended the free event, hosted at Flavet Field courtesy of Student Government Productions at a cost of $112,500. While many stood and swayed to the vibrant electronic beats and later the indie-folk tunes, others were nestled in the comfort of blankets to shield them from temperatures that reached below 41 degrees.
The Knocks came on first for about 45 minutes, and the electronic duo from New York City drummed up the support of the increasing crowd. Ben Ruttner and James Patterson, sporting black wind-breakers and jeans, worked the drums, synthesizer and vocals. They ended their performance with the song, “Dancing with the DJ.”
Christine Moore, a UF computer engineering sophomore, said she enjoyed the sounds.
“They had a bit of a funky electronic vibe,” Moore, 20, said. “It’s weird because I thought there would be a little more instruments.”
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros followed and played for about an hour. The indie-folk band, featured at Bonnaroo in 2013, played several hit songs including “Man on Fire,” “Janglin” and “Home.”
Lead vocalist Alex Ebert captivated some of the audience with his energetic and engaging stage presence.
“What do you want to hear?” Ebert asked the audience at the start.
In the band’s third song, “I Don’t Wanna Pray,” Ebert mingled with the crowd and had a few students sing verses to the song.
The two of the students chosen said they were elated.
Elizabeth “Lizzy” Lunior, a UF psychology and women’s studies senior, said Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is one of her favorite bands — she knows all their songs.
“They sing a lot about the common struggle of pain and happiness that we all go through together,” she said.
Lunior, 22, said she was in the midst of the crowd, lightly holding her hand up when Ebert was walking around. Her friends encouraged her to wave her hands more prominently.
“I got shoved to the front, in a good way,” she said. “I got carried there, and all of a sudden they handed me the microphone. It was just this moment of pure bliss and happiness. I still can’t believe it actually happened.”
Zoe Fornburg, an 18-year-old UF applied physiology and kinesiology freshman, said she was “speechless and dumbfounded” when she was asked to sing a verse.
“I just think they’re incredible performers,” Fornburg said. “I appreciate their passion for their art.”
Alex Ebert, the 36-year-old lead singer of indie folk band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, performs from atop the Flavet Field stage Friday night. Electronic music duo The Knocks opened the concert, which was attended by a large crowd of people despite the evening’s cold temperature.
