Jason Mraz Was All About the Positivity at the Stifel Theatre in Saint Louis
–By Ryan Ledesma
When you think of positivity and fun the first thing that pops into your mind isn’t necessarily Jason Mraz, but it should be.
Mraz is on a mission, a mission to seemingly put smiles on as many people he can through his music and live shows.
On Sunday Mraz attempted, and succeeded, to do jus that with a show at the Stifel Theatre (Formerly Peabody Opera House) in downtown Saint Louis.
Just hours after Mraz visited and sang to some sick kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital to try to spread a little cheer and happiness to them (because, hey, it’s Jason Mraz, and that’s what he does), Mraz tried to send off the same good vibes to the crowd at Stifel.
Check.
At the last leg of an acoustic tour Mraz is joined by Gregory Page on guitar and Toca Rivera on percussion, a couple of friends who he met while singing at coffee shops in San Diego twenty years ago. It seems their friendship crosses over well onstage, as well.
Mraz spent most of the evening (an engagingly subdued affair at the cozy Stifel Theatre) telling stories tpo the crowd and bantering back and forth with his mates in between a stellar array of songs that kept the evening fresh and laid back.
It was so laid back that Mraz stopped mid song at one point and proclaimed his guitar was out of tune, much to the laughter of the crowd, who seemed to feed off of every vibe sent their way from the stage, even as he repeatedly tried and failed (in a funny sort of way) to get his guitar in tune.
At one point, during the song “Karate” another friend of Mraz, Billy Galewood, comes out on stage in an elf costume and overacts the song as Mraz sings, much to the pleasure of the audience.
Touring in support of his latest album KNOW Mraz takes a positive approach to just about everything he touches. “May the best of your today’s be the worst of your tomorrows” as he belts out “Have It All’ to close out the show.
The crowd happily sings along to all the songs and it was very obvious they were genuinely happy to be there in that moment. It’s hard to go to a Jason Mraz show and not be in a good mood a least for a couple hours.
A typical Mraz show features an upbeat show with lots of musicians and lights, but this show is a special one, one that takes the audience into what seems like a personal level with Mraz. Almost as if they are seeing him in one of the coffee shops in San Diego twenty years ago.
And hearing songs like “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)”, “I’m Yours”, and “I Won’t Give Up” in that intimate setting? Well, if you don’t have some extra positivity running through you after this type of a show, then there may not be much hope for you after all.
Jason Mraz Setlist:
Green Lights and Blue Skies (With Gregory Page)
Hollywood’s Heroes (With Gregory Page)
Life Is Wonderful
Details in the Fabric
Sleeping to Dream
I’m Yours
Karate
Best Friends (With Gregory Page)
Winter Wonderland (with Toca Rivera)
You and I Both
Let’s See What The Night Can Do
Chocolate
93 Million Miles
The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)
Zero Percent
Leather/Sweatpant Anniversary
Lucky
I Won’t Give Up
Love Is Still The Answer
Have It All
