Review: Jason Mraz

The tantalizing aroma of funnel cakes circulated through Starlight Theatre on a gentle breeze Wednesday evening. 

Freshly fried dough topped with powdered sugar may not provide much in the way of sustenance, but the delicious treat was enjoyed by many in the audience of about 6,000 on hand to hear Jason Mraz. The pop star’s delectably inconsequential music proved similarly irresistible. 

Mraz’s buoyant brand of pop has made him a fixture on music industry sales charts for much of the past decade. His gentle sensibility adds hints of jazz and reggae to the melodic folk associated with Jim Croce and Jack Johnson. 

Mraz’s two-hour performance showcased his best and worst traits. His lithe approach has produced a handful of songs with remarkable depth that resonated with extraordinary power on Wednesday. Yet during renditions of mundane and unbearably glib material, Mraz resembled a mildly entertaining street busker. 

Thankfully, Mraz has the good sense to surround himself with superior musicians. Showcased in a variety of settings, his nine-piece band gave Mraz’s material a powerful lift. A three-piece horn section added heft to otherwise limpid songs, including “Make It All Mine” and “Butterfly.” Violinist Merritt Lear contributed sultry vocals to “Lucky.” “I’m Coming Over” was performed as an acoustic hootenanny. An ambitious arrangement of the otherwise inane “A Beautiful Mess” evoked Bobby “Blue” Bland’s accomplished band. 

During “Living in the Moment,” a new song that encapsulates his world view, Mraz endorsed an “easy and breezy” lifestyle. The phrase provides an ideal summation of the celebration of escapism on his signature song, “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry).” 

An inspirational version of the nebulous gospel-tinged anthem “I Won’t Give Up” was magnificent. 

Even better was Christina Perri’s duet with Mraz on Perri’s enchanting ballad “Distance.” Fans on hand to catch Perri’s opening set weren’t surprised that her reappearance served as the highlight of Mraz’s set. Bolstered by convincing renditions of her hits “Jar of Hearts” and “A Thousand Years,” Perri and her brawny four-piece band were a revelation. 

Clutching a plate of food as he introduced Perri, Mraz told the audience that “you are what you eat.” While his fans may have binged on the musical equivalent of funnel cakes Wednesday, almost none of them departed having lost their taste for Mraz.

Setist: Ray of Sunshine, The Remedy (I Won’t Worry), Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Make It Mine, Butterfly, Lucky, Up, Plane, You and I Both, Living in the Moment, 5/6, Frank D. Fixer, You Fckn Did It, Love Looks Like, I’m Coming Over, The Woman I Love, A Beautiful Mess, 93 Million Miles, I’m Yours, Three Little Birds, All Dialed In, Distance, I Won’t Give Up.

Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Steve J]

Daughter first heard on the radio yesterday that Christina Perri was in concert tonight. She says "WHAT". Then I explained to her she was opening for Jason Mraz, and I am not paying for that crap.

[JStallfrow]

Complete with all of his Mraz-isms and quirks, Jason put on an incredible show for a venue full of his truest fans, who I'm sure wouldn't hesitate to sing the praises of his performance, just as they weren't hesitant to sing every song back to him. I would have watched for hours more. He and Perri are a good touring partnership. They both sounded fantastic! I can't wait for either of them to come back to town!

[Billy Joel Osteen]

Playing at the Hades Amphitheater for eternity would be the bland Triple-Bill of Dave Matthews band, Jack Johnson (Hands down the worst songwriter of my lifetime), and Jason Mraz. People think a Triple Bill in Hell would be Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and Slayer (or pick your own equivalent). But I'd have a good time at THAT show! To have to endure Matthews/Johnson/Mraz would be pure torture for me. There's not enough Ganja in Jamaica to help me through THAT.

I would rather swim up the river Styx to see the latest boring lineup of Styx at a sparsely attended gig at the Beelzebub Casino. I believe that GOP convert Jack Blades and Night Ranger are opening that eternal stretch of shows. Man, I really better start flying the straight and narrow. Pitchforks, Hell Fire, brunching with Hitler (ALL restaurants in Hell are Vegan), Poker with Caligula, Pilates with Attila The Hun, and the smooth sounds of Jason Mraz. That's my personal nightmare.

[pellboy]

Don't you get it, the soundtrack for HELL isn't static, it adjusts to everyone's personal musical demons. For me, it would be a triple bill of Coldplay/Muse/Radiohead with only Coors Light available at the concession stand.

[canada goose jacket]

Saluton! Loved vian legante vian blogoj. Granda energio! Mi ĵus komencis blogs min kaj aldonis vin al mia listo. Hope vi rigardu mia blogo, kiam vi povas! Konservu ĝis la bona laboro!