The first thing you notice about Jason Mraz when he walks onto the stage is... well, you don't. You half think that he's the lighting guy, in cap, crumpled white T-shirt and jeans.
Nothing about him stands out, remotely.
But then he straps on his guitar, strums a few casual chords, whistling in sync with percussionist Toca Riveria, teasing, winking, waving. And you know- and he knows- that he has every right to be here. And he launches into Plane.
He sings every word so unabashedly pure and true.
He covers Elton John's Rocket Man, with the audience singing "I think it's gonna be a long long time" for a really long time. Oh, he's a tease.
Mraz ain't the man to raise your kids
The inexplicably gorgerous Please Don't Tell Her.
Please don't tell her because she really doesn't need to know
That I'm crazy like the rest of us
After which he quietly muses. "Singing that reminded me that I haven't gotten over her."
There's a stunned silence- who says stuff like that to a concert hall full of people?
And then he grins. "I just said that to make you feel sorry for me."
As the audience sings You and I Both in unison, he twiddles the lyrics of the bridge. Has it changed for him, I wonder?
He muses on the beauty of the Esplanade. "Makes me think that we should have dressed up a little, huh? Perhaps I should be singing this instead." And starts to sing opera-style, really well.
Toca can't stop laughing, which is incredibly infectious. He harmonizes perfectly with Jason, and tells blonde jokes.
The mood turns philosophical with The Boy's Gone and Life is Wonderful, which has us hanging on to his every word.
What will happen to a face in the crowd when it finally gets too crowded?
I half feel that I am at a poetry recital of sorts, I am listening that intently.
It takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
At the end, he plays the strains of I'm Yours. I am so happy that I am squeezing Wanzhi's arm and am sure that I am going to burst into tears. And midway through the song, to my bewilderment, he conjures this little hook out of nowhere.
Scoot a little, scoot scoot a little closer, so I can nibble on your ear
Which makes us giggle like schoolgirls. His background of high school theatre couldn't be clearer. The man can't stop parodying himself.
Here I am exaggerating the end of this song
When the lights come up, the people around me are wearing huge grins.
I have had a perfect night.
Sorry, no other pictures. They are a poor reflection of and, in fact, a mild insult to the memory.
11:26 PM
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