Entry tags:

concert, mraz, review

Jason Mraz - The Pickle Barrel, Killington VT 01/15/08

Photo by Lisa

After only a week of anticipation thanks to the short notice, Hannah and I headed out of Burlington Tuesday afternoon, under clear skies and a fog of excitement to see Jason Mraz play his first show back in the states in many months at the Pickle Barrel Night Club in Killington. It would be my second time to see Mraz and Hannah's first and we were both about as pumped up as we could be.

Photo by Jillian

We made it to Killington around 7:25pm without any trouble or bad weather. As is generally the case, I made what turned out to be an unnecessary and ,ultimately, only obnoxious concert-going decision by casually insisting that Hannah and I venture from our warm vehicle into the bitter Killington night to stand in line in front of the PB for the half an hour or so leading to the doors open time of 8pm. Like a trooper, Hannah indulged my ridiculousness and we spent a very chilly half hour waiting in line with the rest of the die-hard attendees while Hannah shivered slightly and lovingly held back looks of disdain. While we waited, a pair of PB employees posted signs indicating that no cameras would be allowed inside the venue and we made the regrettable decision to stow our camera back in the car and leave the picture taking to the more brazen amongst the throng.

Eventually we shuffled inside and spent the first few minutes scoping out the scene and checking Hannah's jacket which she had eagerly retrieved from the car a few minutes into our frigid queuing. It was then that it became clear that the waiting had been for naught, as the floor immediately in front of the stage had already filled. More importantly, it seemed the nearly empty area next to the soundboard on the slightly raised platform under the balcony would be the best choice for viewing, a location that remained available for some time after we had taken up positions there. I've since added my insistence that we wait in line to the long list of things I owe Hannah big time for, as well as the longer list of things I'll most likely learn nothing from.

We filled the pre-show time people watching and enjoying the relative warmth. About fifteen minutes before the show, long-time Mraz cohort and percussionist Toca Rivera sauntered up behind us to check out the view from our soundboard adjacent location and I took the opportunity to say what's up and offer a good luck back slap. He thanked me and wished us a good time before continuing upstairs to round out his tour of the venue.

It wasn't long before Mraz, Toca and bassist Ian Sheridan took the stage to the enthusiastic applause of a crowd on a serious Mraz jones from his months of touring and recording in Europe. They launched into an opening set that would span about an hour and cover a wide range of tunes from classics, to covers to brand new jams.

Photo by Dara

Opening Set:
You and I Both - Just Jason and Toca on the warm up tip
Lucky - The first new song of the night. This song will feature Colbie Caillat on the album but Toca did his thing on this one. A really nice song, a tad sappy for my tastes in terms of repeat listening but very sweet and smile-inducing for those of us who are indeed in love with our best friend. Lots of hugs were had during this song.
Did I Fool You? - I still love this song so much. Great energy and I love the way Jason leads into it live. First hint that there were a good number of people at the Pickle Barrel not entirely familiar with Jason's older stuff.
Conversation With Myself - Jason seems to really dig this tune, he plays it nearly every show.
Sleeping to Dream - One of Hannah's favorites. For some reason I always feel the need to point that out to her but she was patient and simply smiled and said "I know". Jason's voice was warm and crisp, evidence of the amount of singing he's done in the past few months.
Dear Anna - I may have had a small heart attack when Jason said "this one is actually by Toca's brother, Carlos Olmeda" and then started strumming the chords. The harmonies and melody on this song have always really impressed me and I never thought I'd get to hear it live. This was a full-on fanboy moment for me and I'm not ashamed.
0% Interest - Major laughter on the "Mi Casa" chorus, another indication that there were plenty of new folks in the crowd. He actually didn't do the Spanish at the Orpheum show back in '05, so it was cool to get in on the bi-lingual sing-along this time.
The Remedy - Jason actually started out playing the wrong chords and had to stop and start over. Chuckling he said "yeah, we haven't been playing this one lately". I really got a kick out of it since I have a LOT to say about artists feeling obligated to play their singles (a rant for another time).

There was a mercifully short break between sets during which people shuffled around a bit and tried to find prime viewing locations. Hannah and I marveled at how much space we had to move around and dance a bit and I took the chance to once again apologize for making her stand out in the cold for no reason. She puts up with my insanity AND she's hot, not sure how I got so lucky (I'll wait for the extended "awwww".......).

The house lights went down, the crowd cheered and the DJ announced Jason as he, Toca, Ian, drummer Michael and the boys of Groveline Horns took the stage. Jason liked the made-for-radio voice of the DJ and commented that he felt like he had heard that tone of voice before, and doing his best impression said "coming to the main stage we have Jason Mraz, the luscious Candy is on stage two. Kimberly, you're on deck". The strip club allusion was met by hearty laughs from those who got it. The next hour and a half or so flew by as Jason and the band ran through an amazing set of music both new and old.

Set Two:

Photo by Dara

Gypsy MC (w/Mudhouse chorus) - The perfect way to kick of the set. I've been hoping to hear Gypsy MC live for a long time but that urge has been even stronger since Jason started inserting parts of Bob Schneider's "Mudhouse" into his rap-versed road anthem. The energy was crazy and the sing-along was strong. One of many highlights for me.
No Stopping Us - The horns really got to shine on this one, they added a lot to the entire set. When I heard there was going to be a horn section for this show I was a bit concerned they'd overpower the acoustic sound that I love so much but I was so wrong, they're a great addition to the band and I hope he brings them along on the full blown tour in the spring.
If It Kills Me - The second new song in the set. The part I envy most about Jason's song writing, his opening verses, was on full display here. He has a way of writing and playing that always grabs your attention and then hits you with something memorable. In this case a sweet ode to a potential lover is punctuated with the realization that "I could love you so much better than your boyfriend".
Dynamo of Volition - Even more amazing live. I'm a sucker for the Mraz rap tunes and this one has to be one of my favorites he's done. The opening, rapid-fire verse is just awesome and the change of pace for the rest of the song works so well.
Love For A Child - Another new tune and the point at which it becomes very clear that they're still nailing down the new material as Toca has to fumble a bit with his lyric sheets as he follows along adding his backing vocals. This was a glorified practice after all and I personally find it very cool that they'd share it with us, I think it just added to the fun.
Beautiful Mess - This is quickly becoming the stuck in my head tune of the new batch of songs. I burned a cd to listen to on the way to Killington and show to Hannah and after listening to it she, smiling, asked what the song meant to me. I think it's the imperfections in a relationship that make it special and worthwhile and no song better expresses that. I was really psyched he played it.

Photo by Jillian

Please Don't Tell Her - I'm not the only one who noticed how slow this song was played for some reason. When Beautiful Mess started I actually thought it was PDTH and I think the tempo was affected as a result of the two being played back to back. Regardless, the audience ad-lib "Fuck You!" was fairly strong. Jason commented after that it must make the girl the song is written about feel "really special" that not only does she have a breakup song written about her but an audience of people shouting "fuck you" in the middle of it every time.
Live High - Just a great song. I really started appreciating it after watching the video he made playing it on the streets of France. It comes off as something of an anthem for the way Mraz would like to see life lived. I can see it wining a lot of acclaim for the record. And taken literally, a great lead-in to...
Cannabis College - This song has evolved a lot since the first of many live recordings I heard. The quickened pace makes it really funky and I find myself singing the "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la" parts between the versus when I listen to those older recordings. This one got quite the reaction from the VT crowd, I saw some people absolutely dieing from laughter. Jason even added a chorus of "la-la-la-la-la-Obama". It's quite the experience live and probably best that it won't make the album (at least I highly doubt it), it'll remain one of the many live gems in the Mraz lexicon.
Make It Mine - Another awesome new song. I'm super excited that all of the new material sounds so good. That's not to say I'd expect anything less, but when one of your favorite artists is putting together an album, it's always a joy to really dig everything you hear. On the flip side of course, it makes me nervous about what these songs could turn into once they make their way through the studio and past the powers that be, but time will tell.
Geek In the Pink - It's still fun no matter how many times I hear it.

Photo by Me

Encore:
Sewing Machine - Another newish favorite of mine. This song has been around for quite a while and I dragged my feet on tracking it down until a few months ago and really hadn't listened to it much until the show was announced. Turns out I hadn't given it enough of a chance. It's really beautiful and catchy and I'm excited to hear it get a studio recording.
I'm Yours (w/ 3 Little Birds) - I wasn't particularly excited to hear I'm Yours since I'd heard it so much in the last couple of years, but Jason and the band really made it their own and added some great new bits. The 3 Little Birds snippet was fantastic and the crowd sing-alongs can't be beat. There were a LOT of people psyched to hear it though, it got the loudest reception of the night by far.
Butterfly - Wow, so funky live. The band really grooved on it and Jason seems to really enjoy singing it. He dedicated it to "Candy on stage two" and he's changed the chorus to "You've got everything you need ESPECIALLY me" rather than "except for me", which I think I like better.


Other Show Notes:
-The people talking on their cell phones and having full volume conversations during the songs they didn't know caught every sort of dirty look and occasional "shut the **** up!" from those of us with the heart but they were pretty bad back where we were (under the balcony).

-The RKOPers up front were rockin' it and we tried to bring that to the back but, once again, there were SO many "standers" at this show. I'll never understand that. There were a lot of really excited people but also a lot of clearly new fans who it seems may have been there on the strength of I'm Yours alone. I'm fine with not dancing and flailing like a hippy on E, in fact I frown upon that, but for the love of all things musical, nod your head or sway or something.

-The horn section was absolutely amazing and added so much to the set.

-Jason and Toca broke out the Vermont accents from time to time during story telling and commented on how insanely windy the road into Killington is.

-Somebody's mom baked the boys cookies and they eagerly passed them to the front where Jason took the time to ridicule Toca for his debilitating cookie habit. "Dude, you're the only guy I know who carries milk around in a sports bottle". He then called him a "baked good" himself.

-Toca's shocker t-shirt was in full effect.

-Jason was wearing a shirt that said "Guns Don't Kill People" over a picture of a hand holding a pistol and under that it read "Wait...Nevermind I was thinking of dandelions".

-Toca's solo on Lucky really was killer, glasses up, reading the lyrics, sounding great.

-Some crazy dance floor strobe light action took place during a few of the more upbeat numbers, that was very cool.

-From a mix standpoint, I thought the show sounded great and I snagged the setlist from the sound guy when I went to compliment him.

-All the new stuff is awesome, "If it Kills Me" and "Lucky" are instant favorites.