A visit with Mr A-Z

On Friday night we went to see Jason Mraz in concert at the Freedom Hill Amphitheater. It was a warm, somewhat humid summer evening, and the venue was packed. We saw people of all ages there, from babies to the senior set, but most people were in their 20s and 30s. A lot of folks wore fedoras in imitation of Jason Mraz’s signature accessory. The opening act was G. Love and Special Sauce, K’Naan, and Bushwalla. One of the groups sang a song Hallie thought was catchy called “Booty Call.” Too bad the subject matter was R rated.





Jason came out as the sun finally set and the air got cooler, and his back up musicians from Austin, Texas, gave the songs he sang a Latin flair while the backgrounds and stage props evoked a combination of Japanese print art and “Endless Summer” surf vibe. We had pretty good seats considering we were in the middle of the amphitheater and not right up front like we like to be (we were about 150 feet back). There was a large screen behind Jason and the band members that showed them performing, so we were able to see everything really well. The music was loud, but in a good way, and you could feel the bass without it overpowering the melodies. He played for a little over an hour, and then he was gone. We must have spent easily five or ten minutes clapping and clamoring for an encore, but he did not appear on stage.

Then Hallie let out a whoop when she saw that Jason had come up into the crowd right below sound booth, so now the action was happening about 50 feet from where we were standing (everyone was on their feet swaying and singing and carrying on for most of the concert). He did a long encore set that was a combination of older and newer tunes, and we really enjoyed that part.

Getting out of the parking area was a nightmare. It was like trying to untie a pretzel, but we did eventually get out after midnight. Hallie was enough impressed that she thinks she’ll have to see him again the next time he comes out. Mike thought it was hilarious when he realized how much Jason looks like his brother-in-law. Suddenly it made so much more sense why Carly (a big Mraz fan) married Shad (not so much). Here’s a link for you to decide for yourself!

And here's a short video from the concert for you to enjoy: