JASON MRAZ Concert Photos & Live Video & Boston,MA Pavilion Concert Review! G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE and K'NAAN Band! FREE CONCERT VIDEOS! Pop Music

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Here Are Some Live Concert Photos of
JASON MRAZ, G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE,
& K'NAAN at Bank of America Pavillion: Boston, MA
"BE A HERO" and share my live video links with friends!

JASON MRAZ CONCERT REIVEW

JASON MRAZ, G LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE & K'NAAN

BANK OF AMERICA PAVILLION: BOSTON, MA

Bushwalla MC'd with comic flair, at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston, MA on August 4th 2009, turning the audience into a pumping, percussion section. K'NAAN, the 1st opening act, was a surprising surge of Somali energy, peaking in a Patriotic Sing-a-long, fueled by T-Shirt flag waving fans. G Love & Special Sauce, Boston's hometown heroes, delivered their custom recipe of self-proclaimed "Hip Hop Blues." Their musical marinade consisted of groovy gravy: one Cup of Blues, a half cup of Funk, a Tablespoon of Hip-Hop and a pinch of Ska. G. Love (Garrett Dutton) worked up a froth singing their hit "Baby's Got Sauce." Bass player, Timo, he proudly proclaimed to the Boston crowd, is a local from Swampscott, MA, who then dug into a mean solo on his upright bass. They're a melody mix of "Beastie Boys" meets the "Blues Brothers."

Jason Mraz entered to Beatles worthy screaming girls, which were a majority of his audience. The lyrical master, who will soon be receiving a Hall of Fame award for his songwriting, dove right into his mega hit "Remedy" (I Won't Worry) from his first CD "Waiting For My Rocket To Come." Feverish fans were happy to hear this was NOT the CD version, but rather a cool Reggae groove to cut through one of the hottest days of the Summer. (See link below to LIVE CONCERT VIDEO.) Although the heat did not detour him & his happenin' horn section from high kicks and hijinx, Mr. Mraz then had to slow it down, just long enough for the girls to catch their breath. (See link below for band photos.) Soon after, the band jumped up to his Grammy-nominated, international chart-topper “I’m Yours.” “I’m Yours” appears on Mraz’s third and latest album, 2008’s groove-oriented “We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things." The Pop/Folk songwriter closed down his show by raising his hands up in the air, and requesting everyone high five their neighbors all around, while singing along to "Good Job." This meditating musician did not disappoint, ending on the happy notes that found him his fan base.

To say Jason Mraz believes in accentuating the positive is an understatement. This man lives to be positive, and spends his days, when he's not writing & performing his music, encouraging his fans to catch his contagious high on life. “Playing music is the only thing I wanted to do,” said Mraz. “It was the only job I was good at holding. Every other job in my life I called in sick until I quit. I was a stock clerk, a doorman. I worked at a day-care center, as a janitor in an elementary school.” Fans can read his musings at JasonMraz.com & GratitudeCafeTour.com

On a much more personal note, I was forced to attend this show in a wheelchair. During my long, painful recovery from a stage accident, I can not stand for very long due to severe, chronic pain. Although I was right up front, in row 3, I could never see Jason Mraz at all, and was forced to settle for watching the jumbo screen, like TV. "How on Earth could someone lucky enough to be in row 3 not be able to see?" you might ask. I'm sorry to report that Mr. Mraz's fans *talk* a lot about generosity of spirit and self-awareness...they simply did not show much of it. Let me explain...

The Pavilion has only a very slight upgrade, seeming to leave each row of chairs less than an inch higher than the row in front of it. His fans stood up upon his entrance...then, they never sat down again for the entire show. Everyone appeared to have a difficult time seeing, as they constantly snuck up front, to stand right in front of me, as my chair was in the isle seat. Literally every 30-60 seconds, security would have to step in front of me, again, to ask them to go back to their seats, which usually lead to a pleading discussion about how they only wanted a few pictures. By the time the guard got them to take a photo and leave, another set of fans took their place. Not a single fan acknowledged my presence, let alone offered any sort of apologize for standing in front of me and blocking my view, even of the video monitor.

Part of me wished Jason Mraz had simply requested that everyone sit down, so that those not in the front sections could see too. Yet, as a musician, I know how important high energy is to a show, and I understand why he wants fans on their feet. After all, he's not our Dad, and we should all have learned common courtesy by now. Perhaps the Pavilion should remove all their seats in the front sections, and be more like the Tweeter Center in Mass? These ticket holders definitely wanted to stand, regardless of how many people they blocked. I was simply lucky to be on the isle, so at least I could see for 30 second intervals, after security cleared the isle to honor the fire code. Their were short women in the rows right behind me that could not see at all, who complained loudly and justifiably, but whose requests to sit down fell on deaf ears.

Jason Mraz did show his fans some instant Karma when he arrived for his encore *behind* the back rows. His impromptu stage managed to reverse the balance of power in the audience, making the back row the front row. In response, most of the first ten rows sat down,for the first time that night, quite a few of them visibly upset. How do you like that for instant karma? Of course, some of the folks up front just stood up on their chairs, blocking the view of those behind them even further. Some people never learn. My "Be A Hero" BLOG (http://InnerSuperhero.net) focuses on ways everyone can be a hero by making small changes and small gestures. Next time you're at a show, "Be A Hero" and check behind you to be sure you're not standing in front of someone who can't stand at all. Jason Mraz's fans preach about "Peace, Love & Understanding" a lot. Now, I hope they learn to practice it too...

CONCERT PHOTOS: http://flickr.com/photos/40974751@N04/sets/72157621838770651

CONCERT VIDEOS: http://youtube.com/user/lynnjulian