Jason Mraz: Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL 12/3/08

On a cold December night in Orlando —  and by that, I mean below 70 degrees — Jason Mraz and company did their best to keep Hard Rock Live warm and cozy with their own brand of infectious songwriter-pop. Anya Marina quietly opened the show armed only with an acoustic guitar and an occasional looped backbeat. Her music, like her onstage appearance, had an understated beauty, the kind that becomes more apparent the more you pay attention. With her sexy, jazz-influenced voice, unique phrasing and clever lyrics, Marina delivered an intimate performance, playing new songs off her upcoming album while joking with the crowd and making fun of her acupuncturist.  

That intimacy carried over into Jason Mraz’s set, as it seemed more like he was messing around with a few thousand of his friends than performing for an adoring crowd. There was a certain cheesiness to his antics, whether choreographing dances for the crowd or teaching the crowd to scat, but such is the charm of Mraz. He embraces the cheesy moments and never takes himself seriously. After all, he is the guy who writes lyrics about “trash talking with the onion rings.”

Mraz’s set was a mix of high-energy tracks and ballads. His voice was pitch-perfect, whether crooning the hit “I’m Yours” or delivering at a rapid-fire pace in “The Remedy.”  Though most of his songs fell comfortably in the Top 40 range, or as he described it, “adult contemporary ukulele lite-rock,” there was just enough junk-fused jamming, backed by a solid rhythm section, to keep things interesting. Highlights included a cover of Rick James’ “Mary Jane” and the Michael Jackson-inspired “Butterfly.” Late in the set,  Anya Marina joined Mraz for the duet “Lucky,” with Marina singing Colbie Caillat’s part. At the end of the night, though no one would consider Jason Mraz the Bob Dylan of our generation, it was clear that Mraz’s concerts are a lot like his albums: cheesy but fun.