All the genres, all the style
Between his combined obsessions with being early and Jason Mraz, Joey made sure that we had a great spot in the GA pit for the show, dead center and perhaps only a dozen or so bodies back. We waited and waited until Colbie Caillet, the opening act, finally took the stage. Though I was not very familiar with her work, she played a good set and threw in a few hits that I recognized.
Jason Mraz had abandoned his trademark fedora for a bandana and between it and a head of long shaggy hair, looked much more like a hippie than I remember. Nonetheless, the music sounded the same. The show was still recognizable as compared his previous show, even though he was supported by a new backing band. What has always impressed me about Jason Mraz, particularly in his live performances, was his ability to pull from so many genres of music. His show started with almost a Tony Bennett traditional pop feel, but meandered its way through folk, jazz, swing, rock, blues, and even a few bars of opera. He had great interaction with the crowd and made sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. Of course, he cycled through all of his hits, “The Remedy,” “You and I Both,”and “I’m Yours.” And of course, Miss Caillat was invited back onstage during the encore to duet “Lucky.”
Between his combined obsessions with being early and Jason Mraz, Joey made sure that we had a great spot in the GA pit for the show, dead center and perhaps only a dozen or so bodies back. We waited and waited until Colbie Caillet, the opening act, finally took the stage. Though I was not very familiar with her work, she played a good set and threw in a few hits that I recognized.
Jason Mraz had abandoned his trademark fedora for a bandana and between it and a head of long shaggy hair, looked much more like a hippie than I remember. Nonetheless, the music sounded the same. The show was still recognizable as compared his previous show, even though he was supported by a new backing band. What has always impressed me about Jason Mraz, particularly in his live performances, was his ability to pull from so many genres of music. His show started with almost a Tony Bennett traditional pop feel, but meandered its way through folk, jazz, swing, rock, blues, and even a few bars of opera. He had great interaction with the crowd and made sure that everyone was enjoying themselves. Of course, he cycled through all of his hits, “The Remedy,” “You and I Both,”and “I’m Yours.” And of course, Miss Caillat was invited back onstage during the encore to duet “Lucky.”
I must say, Mraz is one of the best large/big-ticket live performances I've seen in a long time. For the size of the venues and fame of the repertoire, he manages to keep it cozy, personal, interesting, and talent-filled.
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