Popcorn and Pen

Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz showed his music, guitar playing and onstage antics are just as quirky as his personality while performing to a sold-out The Lawn at White River in Indianapolis Thursday night.

Wearing a fedora, white shirt and dress slacks, Mraz walked onto the stage barefoot – flashing a half-grin behind a Styrofoam cup he sipped on. After setting the cup down and rearranging his guitar from his back to his chest, Mraz proceeded to begin his 100-minute musical journey.

Mraz opened with “Live High,” an indicator of what to expect from his concert – a heavy setlist of We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things songs. But after playing the first song off his latest album, which was released on May 13, Mraz performed his first career single, “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry).”

As if the fans losing control wasn’t enough, Mraz himself got swept up in the song and began dancing around the stage as his band – complete with a big band ensemble of saxophones, trumpets, trombones and a rhythm section – continued playing a live jam session. The extended remix of “The Remedy” also included the famous Mraz rap in between his impromptu dances.

If the audiences’ voices weren’t loud enough on “Only Human,” they were definitely louder when Mraz played his 2005 uber hit “Geek in the Pink.”

In all, Mraz played eight songs off We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. He also performed his version of Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze,” which he re-recorded for the Everwood: Original TV Soundtrack.

The lack of major radio hits – “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry), “Geek in the Pink” and “I’m Yours” – may have disappointed some patrons, but the enthusiasm and passion Mraz showed during his performance pulled in the on-the-fence fans and the die-hard fans were hooked as soon as they entered the Indianapolis venue.

While I wondered when the next big hit would come, I couldn’t help but become more interested in hearing songs that I’d never heard before (since the show, I’ve purchased the We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things album since I can’t get some of the infectious tunes out of my head).

While Mraz has a variety of stylistic influences including pop, rock, folk, jazz, country, and hip hop, his show Thursday night had a unique mix of blues, island sounds and big band – it was like a mix of Las Vegas strip folk in Hawaii. The atmosphere was mellow, but melodic. And when the audience became lulled by the tunes, Mraz and the brass instruments kicked up the beat.

After the soothing “Summer Breeze” and “A Beautiful Mess,” the show went from laid back to full throttle energy as Mraz got the audience up and dancing and singing along with “The Dynamo of Volition” and “Butterfly.” Even if you didn’t know the chorus, after the first go around, everyone was singing along.

Mraz concluded with his recent radio hit, “I’m Yours,” by mixing Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” into the song. His encore included “Make it Mine” and the ironic “No Stopping Us,” which lasted over 15 minutes.

Also performing Thursday night as part of ZPL’s Uncle Sam Jam were Gavin DeGraw and Marie Digby.

DeGraw, like Mraz, was on tour supporting his new album, Gavin DeGraw, which was also released in May. Playing both the guitar and piano, DeGraw’s setlist was a majority of newer songs. He also mixed in some of the singles from his 2003 debut studio album, Chariot.

“Follow Through” and his latest radio single, “I’m in Love with a Girl,” were sung along by the audience, but “I Don’t Want to Be” and “Chariot” were the true crowd favorites.