KEEPING it simple and all about the music – that was what Jason Mraz presented to his fans during his recent concert at the Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil.
The singer, who is known for infusing rock, pop, soul, reggae, funk and jazz into his music, was performing in Kuala Lumpur as part of his Good Vibes Tour, presented by Great Eastern Life.
Suffice it to say, the show lived up to its name, even though Mraz seemed overwhelmed by the humidity at times.
Dressed in a black jumpsuit that looked like it had multi-coloured swatches of paint slapped on it, and in his signature hat, Mraz and his band made sure fans had a great time that night.
But before Mraz came on, local singer Aizat Amdan stepped up as the opening act.
Performing just one number, the talented young man had the bad luck of playing to a half-filled stadium, as the crowd was still slowly trickling in.
But once Mraz and his band took to the stage, the stadium quickly filled up and by his second song, it was packed with eager fans.
This is Mraz’s third concert in Malaysia, after two others in 2009 and 2012.
So it was understandable that with the seven-year gap since his last concert here, fans came in droves, many taking selfies with their tickets outside the arena just before the concert.
While that looked fun, it was also rather perplexing to see many of them busily posting up shots of the concert on their social media, instead of just living in the moment and soaking up the music.
In between performing a few of his hits such as You and I Both, I’m Yours, Lucky, I Won’t Give Up and Love is Still the Answer, Mraz would stop to engage with the audience.
He would tell them little nuggets of information about himself like: “Singing has always been my first love, that’s why I am here!”
He also had the audience laughing when he said that his first favourite musical instrument was the vacuum cleaner, after he fell in love with the ‘woooo’ sound it makes.
He even got the audience to make the sound with him!
He then went on to tell the stories behind some of his songs, recalling how a friend once dared him to write a song about a sewing machine. Naturally, he was stumped.
But when he got a call from another friend who was falling apart, he was inspired to write Details in the Fabric, which he then performed for the audience.
Throughout his performance, Mraz was supported by a six-member band, which included four talented female musicians who also did extra duty as dancers and back-up singers.
It was a great show. And despite the steep ticket prices, the fans who loyally made their way there certainly got their money’s worth.
