Jason Mraz sauntered onto the Fox Theatre stage in his usual uniform of jaunty hat, T-shirt and jeans, somewhat surprising audience members still hunting for their seats.
He wasn’t quite ready to perform, but wanted to come out to say, “Thanks, y’all” (he might be a longtime San Diego-an, but don’t forget he’s Virginia born) for coming to the show.
Mraz's other purpose was to introduce Raining Jane, the female quartet of musicians with whom he collaborated on his current album, "Yes!" and would serve as his onstage musical partners as well. ( Mraz talked about his history with the band in our recent interview. )
The foursome – Mai Bloomfield on cello, Becky Gebhardt on bass, Chaska Potter on guitar and mandolin and longtime Mraz cohort Mona Tavakoli on percussion – performed a trio of songs, including an ethereal take on Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield,” before Mraz bopped out to join them.
For the next couple of hours – the concert was separated into two acts with an intermission – Mraz and the ladies hopscotched through his five-album resume with ease and humor.
Mraz’s sincerity is palpable. He sings of matters of the heart and the Earth. Some might roll their eyes at his idealism – Mraz poked fun at himself when telling the crowd, “I don’t wake up under a rainbow!” – but he’s an open-hearted fellow who invites fans to share in his magical musical mystery ride.
With a set list that ranged from new songs (the lovely romantic ballad “Quiet,” the hand-clap-along “Back to the Earth,” the pedestrian “Everywhere”) to old album track favorites (Mraz continued to pick up the Seals and Crofts mantle for “Make it Mine” and broke out his operatic voice for “Mr. Curiosity” from 2005’s “Mr. A-Z” album), Mraz surely satisfied hardcore fans who filled about 80 percent of the Fox.
Because Mraz’s knack for clever wordplay helped launch his career, the fact that he possesses such a pure, clean voice is often overlooked.
Both of his outstanding skills were displayed early in the show. When Mraz gets going, as he did on “The Dynamo of Volition,” words somersault out of his mouth.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
But then he pivots into the gorgeous melody of “Lucky” – all of Raining Jane helped out on the Colbie Caillat portions – and his sweet voice soars. And what a secure guy to throw a little of Spandau Ballet’s “True” in at the end, a combination he jokingly referred to as a “wedding mash-up.”
Mraz and Raining Jane are clearly kindred spirits and throughout the concert, their musical connection was visibly deep.
The girls opened the second set of the night with a mystical jam anchored by Gebhardt on sitar before seguing into the honeyed tones of “93 Million Miles.” Their collective harmonizing on songs such as the country lilting “Long Drive” and the vocally layered “What Would Love Do” exemplified their musical synchronicity and their lighthearted ribbing of each other suggested an enviable camaraderie.
Mraz hasn’t changed much from the laid-back coffeehouse troubadour of a dozen years ago – and that’s a comforting reality.
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