Magic!

A LocalBozo.com Concert Review
The Marlin Room at Webster Hall, New York, NY
July 10, 2014

Just days after the release of their debut album “Don’t Kill the Magic” and hours after taping their first ever performance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Canadian four piece band Magic! took over a sold out Marlin Room at Webster Hall on Thursday night to the sheer delight of several hundred screaming fans. The band, who has entered the realm of public consciousness with the release of lead single “Rude,” which skyrocketed to Number 2 in the United States alone, swooned the crowd for an hour splicing inventive cover songs in between much of their newly released record.

In an exciting move for fans, the band walked through the crowd with the help of security- and casually strode onstage shortly after 9pm Thursday night, following a fun opening set by Pants Velour. Blending in equal elements of pop and rock with reggae overtones, Magic! spent much of the evening slowly gyrating to every lick of Ben Spivak’s bass and every riff of Mark Pellizzer’s guitar, which broke out into electric solos every now and again. But the focal point rarely wavered from frontman Nasri Atweh who paced back and forth on stage, tantalizing the mostly female crowd while harmonizing with his mates.

Tracks like “Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool” and “No Way No” kicked the show off on the right foot with both feel good style tracks lending themselves to showcase Atweh’s vocals over a calypso-esque backdrop provided by the band. Watching the standing room only crowd around us, it quickly became evident how difficult it is to remain in place in the face of reggae rock music as the show turned into an all-out slowed down dance party. Covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” and the band’s creative turn on Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” allowed Magic! to move a bit out of their comfort zone as the crowd joined them by singing each verse.

Magic! unsurprisingly saved their latest single “Don’t Kill the Magic” and the suspenseful “Rude” to close out an encoreless set- both of which equally captivated an unglued crowd aching to continue the party. You’d be hard pressed to find a show where more cell phones were held high in the air, filming both the band on stage and the crowd as each familiar note was performed in energetic fashion.  While the dancing commenced down on the floor, the musicians up on stage continually glanced around at each other, seemingly in disbelief that their penned songs had become so roundly lauded and genuinely appreciative for the ‘sold out’ term that figuratively graced the Webster Hall marquee. Though the abbreviated set was but a taste of a quickly ascending band who continues upon a meteoric rise, amid this intimate setting, it seemed like the perfect way to celebrate New York City style on a warm July evening.

- Jane Van Arsdale