As promised, here is the second concert review for the month of October…Jason Mraz is one of the most prolific singer/songwriters of the music scene today. His stage presence and the way he controls the crowd is unreal. I guess that’s why his shows usually sell out around the world and the scalpers on the street corners have no tickets to buy or sell.

This marked the third time I’ve seen Mraz in Colorado, and each time he delivered a phenomenal performance. I knew I had to get my tickets quick for this show, and I didn’t care if it caused an overdraft fee. I knew it was going to be worth it.

Mraz performed at The Fillmore in Denver on October 27, 2008. I’ve been to The Fillmore for many concerts and I hardly recognized the place. It looked brand new. The inside and outside of the building was absolutely amazing. I questioned my whereabouts. I wasn’t sure if I was at the right place.

The first thing I bought was T-shirts at the merchandise booth for my cousin, my best friend and myself. Although it is a pain to carry things around during a show, you’re better off getting the shirts beforehand so they have the right size and more options to choose from.

Lisa Hannigan was the opener for Mraz’s national tour. She is from Dublin, Ireland. Her voice is somewhat scratchy and, at the same time, soothing for the soul. Hannigan performed for about an hour and a half with her band. Again, the opener drew a crowd. There was hardly any room on the floor.
Shortly after, Mraz was seen on the two screens in the back of the stage. The view of the camera made it look as if Mraz was being followed to the stage. The crowd went crazy.

Mraz sang a slew of hits that night and mashed up a few of them with different songs. Mraz mashed up his song, “Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” with Oasis’, “Wonderwall”, his songs, “You and I Both” with “Sleeping to Dream” and his current hit, “I’m Yours” with Bob Marley’s, “Three Little Birds.”

His set consisted of many instruments from the woodwind, percussion and strings family. The sound was amazing. At one point during the performance, a couple of his band mates played their instruments from atop the balcony while a spotlight shone on them.

Toca Rivera, Mraz’s long time partner in crime, was there as well. Rivera also knows how to make the crowd enjoy themselves. Their chemistry on stage is definitely second to none.

As stated earlier, Mraz’s stage presence and crowd control is unreal. During his performance, he had the audience chant with him. He made the ladies chant at a really low tone and the gentlemen chant at a really high tone.

Yes…Mraz is that good.

Again, the artist’s performance exceeded the price of admission. Mraz’s performance was worth every penny and more.

After the show, my best friend and I went to the back of the venue. We were hoping to get autographs from Mraz and his band. I think it was too cold for him. He was already in his tour bus keeping warm. I think the temperature was around 40 degrees. That’s Colorado for you.

The cold didn’t stop his band members from signing a few autographs and taking time out for photos though. Although Mraz didn’t come out due to the weather and lack of security, his performance on stage was good enough for me.

Tune in next month, for I will bring you the heavy metal sounds of Soulfly.