Ah Jason, Jason, Jason. Where do I begin?
Jason rocked the house on Sunday at Seattle's annual Labor Day music festival, Bumbershoot. This is the 3rd time I've seen him in concert, but a first for an outdoor venue. He played at Memorial Stadium, assuming to accommodate the anticipated crowd. It was packed.
It's no question that Jason has a legion of fans. Mostly under age 18, by the looks of last night's crowd. Was this his best performance? Nah, probably not. Was it worth the ticket? Absolutely.
Jason is a crowd pleaser. No doubt. He snuck into the last set of Michael Franti's gig and the mosh pit went wild. With his smooth vocals and impressive range, he can adapt to nearly anyone's song and give it a spin all his own. And what a tasty sample treat to see him perform for a bit prior to his show starting.
His show got under way with appreciated punctuality. (Clearly, I'm not one of the 18-and-under crowd.) No rambling banter or mediocre opening acts, he got right to the heart of his set. There was less conversation with his crowd as in past concerts which made it feel a smidge less personal, but his songs were played well and the fan sing-alongs, though distracting, were completely involved. The thing I missed most in the 75-minute performance was the juiciness of hearing his voice. Too many instrumental solos stole a bit of the spotlight for what I've really come to love about this singer. His brass section was talented and impressive, but we want to hear Jason sing. As always, Toca Rivera was entertaining and offered up the signature sound of the Mraz song.
We all love the radio songs and hits we can sing to. His hit single "I'm yours" was truly great and I caught the sight of an on-duty police officer actually pump his fist. Not joking. What I most enjoyed was from his new album 'We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things'. His live version of "Coyotes" was tops. His voice is beautiful and this song completely showcased his vast range, due in part to his operatic training. The clean, clear high notes were unbelievable. Hearing this live was a treat. His recorded version hardly does it justice.
At the end of the show, the crowd demanded an encore. We hoped for a new hit, classic radio song or at least a fun cover, but we got a slightly disappointing duet. Here's hoping the next concert gets back to basics. I'm remembering and reminiscing over The 5th Avenue show where he was practically sitting with us, guitar in hand. Next time Jason?
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