A Missed Opportunity

Some artists offer very little difference when you go from the studio album to their live performances. Others are actually worse when they are on stage and actually prove that the talent that we think they have is a mere sum of the studio’s production capabilities. The last type of performer usually fits into what is becoming a more and more select category – the artist that blows you away with their live shows.

In past generations, an artist wouldn’t make it if they couldn’t perform live. Nowadays, these types of acts are considered unique. The first one that comes to mind from our generation is the Dave Matthews Band. Like them or not, you have to respect what they bring to the table. Considered one of the best live bands ever, they have reminded the music industry what it means to put on a real show. Jason Mraz, the up-and-coming 28-year old from Virginia, showed signs of heading down a similar path while he toured his debut, multi-platinum album Waiting For My Rocket To Come in 2003-2004. However, last night at Avery Fisher Hall during a stop on his Mr. A-Z tour, Mraz failed to take his showmanship to the next level. He had an opportunity to solidify his name on the great performers’ scorecard and although he put on a good show, the stand-out, uniqueness factor just wasn’t there.

Mraz’s first tour left most audiences with such a rare sense of excitement that most fans agree that there was no reason to listen to his studio albums anymore. While his most recent tour does showcase certain songs that have the same effect live, the setlist fell much to short of producing the same overall affect of his first effort. The scatting, improvisation, and stage persona were all there last night, but the song selection wasn’t. Mraz played 9 of the 12 songs from his new album, but just 3 songs from his first record. Rocket’s "The Remedy" with its transition to and from a cover of the Oasis song "Wonderwall", "You And I Both" with its extended musical intro, and "Curbside Prophet" with its extra verses and musical breaks were actually some of the better of the choices throughout the night, but the fact that these were the only songs from that album seemed to leave most of the audience unfamiliar with portions of the rest of the show. Those that were familiar with Mr. A-Z saw more of the weaker songs from the CD than those that would have easily captured all facets of Mraz’s talent. Some highlights from his new material included an extended jam at the end of "Bella Luna" and a performance of the bonus track "I’m Yours" with only the original trio of Mraz, percussionist Toca Rivera, and bassist Ian Sheridan. Yet, the choice to make "Plane" a closing number and "Geek In The Pink" the end of his encore elevated the overall quality of the show from decent to good. Surprisingly, Mraz’s new single "Wordplay" (which he has already shown three different live versions of) was left out of the show.

Though Mraz wasted the chance to reiterate his case to be considered one of the best live acts in the market right now, he did manage to still put on a solid show. There’s no question that he is better live than on his records and that his talent goes far beyond anything that one column could capture. But while his voice, musical arrangements, and personality was there last night, there were elements that he has shown in the past that were either missing from his new songs or only evident in the songs he left off of the setlist.