JASON MRAZ

Live Shows of 2004 #1
The Beacon Theater



It was my first concert of the year. I went to see my favorite performer, well next to Dave Matthews Band who tops my list . Jason Mraz was finally coming back to NYC. After being one of the first in line to get tickets in April, I found myself on May 24th standing outside of the Beacon Theater with a huge box of non-perishable goods ( It was also a food drive). My sister, whom I thought would have made it on time, came a whopping 20 minutes late. By then, the opening act Makana was performing. He had a great voice but he didn’t really catch my attention. It wasn’t long before he exited the stage. Who came next made my heart skip a beat. As Jason lead this man onstage, I wondered who he was. His name was Raul Midon, and holy crip crap does this guy have UBER talent. He’s a one man band, honestly, he’s not one of those corny people with a drum strapped to his front and a piano strapped to his back. He’s god when it comes to the guitar. He blew me away. I got so emotional listening to him. Let me tell you why you should give this guy a listen. He puts so many guitarists to shame that It’s just scary. He lost his sight as a baby when he was placed in an incubator with high oxygen levels after being born prematurely. As I sat there hypnotized by his soul rocking voice, I closed my eyes and Raul seemed as though he was surrounded by a full band. The way he played the guitar, there were so many different sounds that came from that one instrument. I heard Drums, I heard Bass, I heard an Electric Guitar being picked and an Acoustic Guitar being strummed. How he made that possible, only he knew. I fell in love with the music and his strength to persevere in a world that counts on looking before hearing. When he finished his last set, I gave him a standing ovation, and so did the rest of the theater. He was magnificent.

A slight intermission had came before Jason appeared on stage. Since I was so close to the stage, I smelled the beautiful aroma of Marijuana. Those heffers were smoking the good shit back stage, and they didn’t even offer a negro any. The nerve of some people.. I always share the love when I’m smoking. Ah well, I didn’t really expect them to offer.

Jason’s voice sent shivers up & down my spine. I’ve actually had an orgasm just listening to him. It’s true. His voice is like sex.. Great sex that can only come by loving music too much. As he sang, It was as if he was taking me on a journey away from my chaotic life. His words wiped the tears from my eyes and lifted some of the fears that had plagued me since 2003. The new songs he performed reassured me that his talent will go on for years and years to come. He was the energy I needed, the voice I needed to hear at that very moment when the world didn’t seem to want me in it. Without him knowing me, he took me in with his words, held me with his music and had showed me that it was possible for me to follow my dreams. This guy from Mechanicsville VA, became one of the very few with pure talent, whose voice stole my heart, and took it for a ride. One song in particular had hit close to home. It’s called “Absolutely Zero”. The break up of my X and I, had left me feeling jilted. We both were too young to carry such a big relationship. We started out as friends, only to one day cross the line where friends stopped and became lovers. Only one of us knew the consequences but were too afraid to voice the opinion. We lived together for a over a year and even though the signs were there, I chose not to acknowledge them. He hid me from his family, as if he were ashamed of me. I was good enough for him behind closed doors, but I was not the right color for him to show affection to in the open. No matter what I did, he couldn’t bring himself to show me to the world. I became a secret, trapped within a box, inside his heart. By the time I had the courage to see that he selfishly took my love without showing any in return, It was too late. We were strangers locked in an apartment, we no longer shared words, he no longer held me, and he couldn’t look me in the eyes. I was no longer his comic relief when he felt down. One night it became apparent that he no longer held me because he had someone else to hold. Unlike me, he showed her affection in public, said sweet nothings in her ear and introduced her to his family. I took my leave from Florida and boarded a plane back home to NYC.

On the plane ride home, I couldn’t cry. I did a lot of thinking though. I blamed myself for this relationship. I invited him into my heart with the expectations of getting back the affection that I gave. Deep down inside I knew the consequences of this. Why did I kiss him that night that took us from friends to lovers. I don’t know. I was looking for something that he couldn’t give me. Love. In the end I couldn’t blame him for the events that happened. Though I would love to turn back time to stop that life altering kiss, I can’t. I move forward, back to NYC with a clean slate. So there I was, sitting in row CC seat 3 at the Beacon, listening to Jason sing a song that I knew all too well. It was a walk down memory lane and it was hard to keep my emotions at bay, but I did.

I left the concert feeling as if Jason gave a piece of himself to everyone that attended. I felt privileged to have been there. I hope that sometime in the future, I can thank him for helping me.