LITTLE ROCK — Jason Mraz and his brand of quirky pop, complete with soaring vocals, wicked horns and clever wordplay took over Harding University on Saturday night.
The gifted singer-songwriter brought the nearly sold-out crowd to their feet - and kept them there for most of his nearly two-hour set. That is no small feat considering the number of new songs he performed during the show. He sprinkled in enough hits to keep the crowd happy - not counting a handful of students who were quite vocal about their boredom when they didn't know the songs.
Mraz is one of those rare performers who sounds just as good live as he does in the studio. Some songs, particularly off of older albums, sound even better now that he has the backing of an incredible band. This was definitely the case with “Remedy,” which Mraz has now given a reggae treatment.
Mraz is at his best when the crowd is participating along with him. Since Colbie Caillat isn’t on the tour, Mraz depended on the audience to sing her part of their duet, “Lucky.” There must have been a number of talented singers in the crowd, because it sounded surprisingly good.
Other highlights were “The Dynamo of Volition” with its high-energy crowd choreography, and the new song “Sandiscoreggaefornia,” in which he invited two youngsters on stage to dance with him. Of course, it wouldn't be a Mraz show without a little opera, so he incorporated that into “Coyotes.” Mraz closed out the show with his popular “I'm Yours,” and then stuck around on stage to sign autographs for fans.
Mraz seemed to make a few adjustments to his show at the conservative Christian university. The sexually-charged “Butterfly” was left off the set list. He also tweaked the lyrics a bit in “Dynamo.” A few curse words still found their way into the performance, but they were few and far between.
Seattle-based Luc and the Lovingtons opened the show. With their Latin rhythms and an emphasis on social consciousness, the band was an ideal opener for Mraz, who also stresses community and making the world a better place. The highlight of the opening set was “The Freedom Song,” which lead singer Luc Reynaud wrote with children displaced from Hurricane Katrina.
Arkansas, Pages 14 on 09/27/2010