The Pendulum
A & E
Page 15 • Thursday, Aug. 28, 2003
Rising star Jason Mraz performs in Raleigh
Photo Courtesy of jasonmraz.com
Jason Mraz appeared in concert in Raleigh on Sunday.
His new album is “Waiting for My Rocket to Come. ”
Concert Review
Sean Hennen
Reporter
As the current trend in the pop
music world continues to break
free of the routine cycles of Britney
Spears and N*Sync, there is a defi
nite return to pop rock roots. A
number of instrument-friendly
singer/songwriters have been grac
ing both MTV stages and live ven
ues everywhere.
John Mayer seems to have led
this new revolution, but he has had
ample assistance from the likes of
Michelle Branch, Jack Johnson,
Vanessa Carlton and, more recently,
Jason Mraz.
If there was one album ever-pres
ent in mv CD player during the
course of the summer, it had to be
“Waiting For My Rocket To Come.”
Mraz’s self-assured debut produced
the catchy, hit single “The Remedy
(I Won’t Worry)” that has become a
constant staple on alternative radio
stations.
While “Waiting” was the perfect
summer album, proudly exhibiting
both witty lyrics and infectious
beats, one must see Mraz in concert
to fiilly appreciate the musician.
Held at the Disco Rodeo (former
ly The Ritz) in Raleigh, the show
started around 8 p.m. Sunday night.
Even the opening act, a Norwegian
by the name of Sondre Lerche,
seemed to perfectly accentuate the
rest of the concert. Lerche was
musically similar to Mraz, playing
mostly in the acoustic rock vein of
the headliner.
When Lerche was
finished, he left the
stage but stuck
around to pitch his
album “Faces
Down” and sign
autographs for fans.
Moments later,
Mraz took the stage
and presented two-
hours worth of live
music that had the
entire audience
singing along enthu
siastically. While
Mraz held back
“The Remedy” until
the second half of
the concert, he did
toss out a couple of
favorites from his
album like “You
And I Both” (his
next single),
“Curbside Prophet,”
and “On Love, In
Sadness.”
Many of the songs contained
improvised musical interludes that
likened his act to the Dave
Matthews Band. Displaying his
intense skills at the acoustic guitar,
the improvised riffs created an inter
esting and unique concert experi
ence, even for the fans who listen to
his songs repeatedly.
Mraz played the guitar and sang,
and his supporting band consisted of
a bass player, a drummer, a bongo
player, another acoustic guitarist
and a keyboardist. Mraz spouted
light, witty stage banter throughout
the show, conversing easily with the
audience and his fellow bandmates.
He continually made humorous
remarks about his past relationships,
the source material for many of his
songs, and effortlessly made a fast
bond with the audience. As the
show came to an end, an enthusias
tic round of applause brought Mraz
out for an encore. “Too Much
Food,” a track from his album, was
stretched into a long jam by the
band and was well received by the
fans.
After the show, Mraz and his
casually dressed band came out to
greet fans, sign autographs and pose
for the occasional picture. Mraz
prominently wore a hat reading
“Some Dude” (a line from one of
his songs) that had been tossed
onstage during his set by a fan.
It seems that Jason Mraz might be
around for awhile. The audience
was varied, ranging in age from pre-
pubescents to grandparents super
vising children and everyone in
between. If the concert was any
indication, Mraz is veiy talented,
and that alone should keep his
music high profile for a long time.
Contact Sean Hennen at
pendulum@elon.edu or 278-7247.
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