Upon entering the grounds of the "Big Top," aka L.A. Historic Park, there is the quick realization that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros are going to deliver exactly what they promised – a full fledged musical circus. Yes, they were going to pull this – whatever it was – off. 

When the event was released last summer, complete with a flashy animated website stating a "unique and eclectic mix of musicians, vaudeville, acrobats, and puppetry," perhaps people weren’t sure what to think. But Friday night’s crowd showed up for the occasion, trickling into the open seating traditional Big Top tent slowly at first, the entire dome not quite filled in until last act hosts Edward Sharpe took the stage close to 10:30pm. 

Outside the Big Top stands the Bazaar, complete with lit-up ferris wheel, hip food vendors (such as travelling bicycle cart "White Guy Pad Thai"), artsy t-shirts and jewelry for sale, as well as circus folk on stilts towering above the entire grounds, waving down at you while dancing to ragtime piano. It might be a dystopian circus gone wrong. It might be a rundown Disneyland on acid. Regardless, it's a sight to see. 

But perhaps the biggest accomplishment of the event is the Big Top itself, a 360 degree venue for only a few hundred, complete with a slow rotating stage. The sound inside the tent pulsed from every direction, and lights bouncing off the walls created a truly awesome viewing experience, made even more beautiful by the strung up overhang of bright lightbulbs glowing brightly for Edward Sharpe’s set. 

READ MORE: Bohemians At The Bowl: Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros

The full spectacle show began at 8pm, with vaudeville magician Christopher Wonder as host, his voice reverberating like a cartoon character, introducing Italian burlesque dancer Cleo Viper in her famous butterfly costume. Wonder performed next, casually drinking and smoking on stage as he pulled various objects out of a live chicken’s backside and unceremoniously pulled down his pants to reveal "The end" tattooed on his cheeks. 

Next up was music act Henry Wolfe, whose bandmates formed a circle as he crooned out some soothing synth-pop. Wolfe, while talented, certainly slowed things down for Big Top until male acrobat foursome Torque Method took the stage to pump things back up. A mixture of balancing acts, contortionism, and gymnastic dance, they were exhilarating to watch and did an impressive show despite the small amount of stage allotted for such stunts. 

And just when one could think it couldn't get better than acrobats, Scott Land’s Marionettes took the stage. Yes, marionettes. The man behind the puppets of "Team America," Land performed three of his puppet acts, bringing to life extremely intricate characters with music, comedy, and dance. The mood changed abruptly again with Rocco DeLuca, a seasoned Dobro resonator guitar player, who joined his drummer on stage for a duel of loud and harsh folk rock. 

The last opening act was the Lucent Dossier Experience, where dubstep met cirque-de-soleil, as a rambunctious sword swallower egged on the crowd and a team of gymnasts performed aerial stunts. There was a good thirty minute setup as the now-full tent waited for Edward Sharpe to take the stage, and the crowd erupted as they did – some band members in masks and circus fabrics as they formed a circle of pianos, synths, guitars, an upright bass, and brass around ringleader Alex Ebert. 

"Up from Below?" Ebert asked, maybe to his band maybe to the crowd, but that’s what everyone got as the band set things off with the title track from their first album. Ebert hopped around barefoot in his oversized white tunic, looking overtaken by spirits, and never shied away from jumping down to let fans hug and embrace him. One thing became clear very fast: this was no Big Top, but the Edward Sharpe Tent Revival, an opportunity for the band’s dearest fans to simply show up and hear their true gospel. 

The next two hours were an emotional rollercoaster of the most uplifting and memorable songs from their first two albums, with a mix of new tracks off their self-titled third album sprinkled in between. Particularly powerful from the newest album was "Life is Hard," in which singer Jade Castrinos gets an equal shot at the melody line with Ebert, belting out their signature geniusly simple lyrics: "You want to help but can’t help the feeling you cannot/And it’s killing you while you’re just trying to smile from your heart/So go on, say it, on the same knees you’re praying/Yes, life is hard."

Ebert also handed over lead vocal duties to Castrinos on "Fiya Wata" from sophomore album "Here" and guitarist Christian Letts for the appropriately circus-y and Ringo Starr feel of  "When You’re Young." Second guitarist Mark Noseworthy led the band in the funk feel of his original song "Motion Animal," the first track on a free CD from Edward Sharpe's label Community Music given out at the swag booth. 

The band does what they do best on group numbers like "I Don’t Wanna Pray," where their large dixieland instrumentation is utilized to the fullest potential, and the vamping chord changes give each member a chance to sing a (usually improvised) verse. "Man on Fire" and "40 Day Dream" were other favorites that shook the tent as fans sang along, dutifully waiting to see if the band would close with their first hit "Home."

As has been their live tradition, Ebert and Castrinos replace their recorded story of falling in love on "Home" with those from the audience. Ebert passed the mic between fans in the front rows: "You all are amazing, I love you so much," one explained, "It’s my two-year anniversary and my girlfriend got me these tickets!" another shouted, until one man was able to tell the story of how Edward Sharpe’s music got him through chemotherapy when he felt like giving up. The audience exploded into applause, and Ebert leapt down to take the speaker into his arms. The entire tent belted out the last few choruses, feeling some kind of community, a unity in a song they’d heard a thousand times over but still couldn’t get enough of. 

An encore of "Om Nashi Me" from "Up from Below" kept things going for a few more minutes until the lights went out and the Big Top was over. The ferris wheel had stopped spinning, the clowns on stilts were gone, and L.A. Historic Park seemed like just a parking lot again. Indeed, Big Top was a success. Leave it up to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to pull it off. 

Read more of NT's show reviews here.

Reach Staff Reporter Becca Grumet here. Follow her on Twitter here.