KALAMAZOO, MI – Alex Ebert wasn't lying when he told hordes of love drunk fans he wished the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros show wasn't over during his farewell on stage at Kalamazoo State Theatre Monday night.

Ebert, the group front man, made good on his word when the band continued performing on their way out of the building, from an alley between the State Theatre building and Harvey’s on the Mall, after the show.

The impromptu performance quickly attracted a sizable crowd to Burdick Street and customers having a drink on Harvey’s balcony watched from above.

“That’s never happened,” said Sarah Bauman, State Theatre’s box office manager. “Guys who have worked here for 20 years said they’ve never had that happen and according to the show crew, that’s a first for the band, as well.”

Energy beamed from the stage during the show, led by the boisterous Ebert, whose booming voice and wailing arms seemed contagious to a swaying crowd. Jade Castrinos, the often-twirling lead female vocalist, was certainly “the girl of the hour.”

The Giving Tree Band opened the show. Edward Sharpe, a Los Angeles, Calif.-based band, played for nearly two hours at Kalamazoo State Theatre for a sold out show, attended by more than 1,500 people. The group performed all of their crowd-pleasers, including "Home," "Man on Fire," "Carries On"' and "40 Day Dream."

The folk-pop crew released its latest album, "Here," last May. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in August of 2012.

During the show, Ebert mentioned how steamy the stage was, telling the crowd “the more moist we are, the more electric we'll get."

About halfway through the show, he passed the microphone to fans for “story time.”

Andrew Spooner, 20, drove from Traverse City to see the band for the third time on Monday and was handed the microphone during the show. He complemented the band for visiting a fan in the hospital.

Jen Florence, 29, shed tears and hugged her fiancé, Josh Maxwell, 31, when the band performed their hit “Home.” The couple said their first date was at an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros concert two years ago.

“For the last year, we’ve been apart and every time I hear this song I just think of her and how much we love each other,” Maxwell said. “Knowing how much it meant to both us made it that much more special.”

When the concert came to an end, the front-row dwellers waited and chanted for one more song, in hopes the 10-member band would return to the stage. Fans slowly filed out when it appeared the electric performance was over.

About 15 minutes after the show, Ebert appeared standing on top of a pile of equipment trunks in the alley with members of the band, including trumpeter Stewart Cole. They performed at least three songs outside.

“I feel that they have that hippie, 1960s style down and they are keeping beautiful music alive,” said Mary Quasarano, 22.

Mlive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette Reporter Theresa Ghiloni contributed to this report. Contact Ursula Zerilli at uzerilli@mlive.com or 269-254-5295. Follow her on twitter.