Magic Giant: Die With Zero

Alternative-rock band Magic Giant performed at New York City’s Racket on their “Die With Zero” spring tour. The band is typically a trio, though only two of the original members were able to make it this tour – though, an empty microphone stand was placed onstage for absent member Zambricki Li to keep him close. They were joined by various touring members, including an incredible trumpet player, who helped fill the stage and round out the live instrumentals. The tour name is inspired by the book of the same name by Bill Perkins, and celebrates the idea of living in the present rather than waiting to cross items off your bucket list. It’s safe to say that their remarkable live performance was a perfect demonstration of just how to do so.

Opening up the show was a breathtaking set from alternative artist Mobley, who immediately captured the crowd’s attention when he walked out wearing a CRT TV helmet obscuring his face, which he kept on for the first few songs of the set. In addition to incorporating various other art forms such as projections and stunning lighting into his impressive musical performance, in which he played every instrument, Mobley did an incredible job engaging with the crowd. In one song, he had volunteers in the front row hold electric nodes so that he could tap their hands to create a beat in lieu of simply playing drums. The show would have been time well spent if just for Mobley’s outstanding and unique set, and it seemed likely that Magic Giant gave themselves an impossible act to follow – that is, until they took the stage.

Magic Giant used every inch of space they had and drew out every bit of energy from both the crowd and themselves to put on a nonstop, incredible set filled with special moments that constantly surpassed expectations. The band made the midsize venue feel like a large festival show in some songs, only to pull back and create incredibly intimate and personal moments with the crowd in the next song. Their energetic performance of “Disaster Party” and the quickly choreographed crowd dance during “Window” were both highlights of the night, as well as when they surprised the crowd during “The 818 (Roller Skates)” by having a dancer rollerskate onstage for the duration of the song. Throughout the set, lead singer Austin Bisnow and guitarist Zang danced around the stage, interacted with each other and the crowd, and more. In one standout moment, Austin abandoned the stage in favor of climbing up the side wall of the venue for a few verses before jumping down to dance among the rest of the crowd. He joined the crowd several other times throughout the night, and for their encore, he and Zang stood right in the center of the audience for a stunning acoustic performance of their song, “Great Divide,” lit only by the phone lights of emotional fans surrounding them on all sides.

Every detail of the show was created with intention, creativity, and passion – right down to their merch, which was a shop-style set up with racks of one-of-a-kind clothing items they thrifted and screen printed their logo onto. Magic Giant is definitely a band to see live if given the chance. They recently wrapped up their tour across North America, and just released a new song, “Be My Baby,” as a collaboration with kid baron, which is available now on all streaming platforms.