Jason Mraz wows fans in Big Dome concert

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jason Mraz made Manila the first stop of his "A Grateful Journey" Asia tour with percussionist Toca Rivera — and the massive crowd at the Araneta Coliseum responded with resounding cheers, intent listening, and the sound of thousands of hands clapping. Fans, predominantly Filipinos in their 20s and 30s, gathered outside the venue long before the gates opened at 6 p.m. for the one-night-only concert. Other age groups were also well represented, as the date fell on a Sunday — family day for Filipinos and the middle of a long weekend. Judging by their attire and demeanor, the fans were mostly upper middle class. Ticket prices ranged from P1,590 for seats in the Upper Box B sections to P3,710 for the patron seats at ground level. Inside the Big Dome, the concert stage had simple production design of alternating black and white drop curtains, backlighting, two large video screens and the standard set of lights. The main pieces of the instrument set-up were four guitars and a Djembe drum. When the indoor lights were darkened, the minimalist production values helped create an intimate ambiance that narrowed the distance between the fans' seats and the stage. The unseen announcer's voice served as the cue for the fans to cheer. When Jason and Toca emerged, it simply electrified the crowd.

"Mabuhay" Jason wore a bandana, jeans and a dark t-shirt with the word "Peace" emblazoned on it. He went up to the microphone and his "Mabuhay Manila!" greeting made the intensity of the cheering rise many decibels higher. Momentary calm set in as Jason picked up the first of four guitars. He struck the first chords of the evening and deliberately proceeded at a gradual pace. The fans synched their claps to the tempo of the notes. As Jason sang his first songs, the crowd was largely subdued, intently listening to his voice, possibly coming to terms with the reality that Jason Mraz was really right there, in their presence, singing to them songs about love and life. "All I really want to do is love you," Jason sang, and the audience responded with waves of cheers and applause. "In the first few minutes, I've been in awe of what this is," Jason said. "It took me a bit to get grounded," he admitted. He did start off with slow tempo songs, which put the audience at ease. Everyone in the coliseum found their groove soon enough. Jason's rendition of "The Remedy" made the crowd erupt into frenzy. Some got on their feet and danced in place. "And I won't worry my life away," the fans sang in chorus.
Expressions of love Some fans sent out intermittent shouts of "I love you, Jason!" Most of that public display of affection came from the women in the audience, but some did emanate from men. A few fans at ground level reacted to Jason's long curly hair and abundance of facial hair. "Love the Jesus look," said one banner. LCD screens of mobile phones, digital cameras and tablet computers shone in the darkness inside the Big Dome as fans took pictures of Jason and Toca and of themselves. At the end of their main set of songs, Jason and Toca took a breather and went backstage. The crowd was insatiable and shouted, "More! More!" as they stomped rhythmically on the floor and shook the coliseum. The duo returned on stage shortly. Jason revealed that he is supporting the campaign of MTV against exploitation and human trafficking. To emphasize this, he sang "Rescue" and punctuated that rendition with his message, "Real men don't buy girls." The fans cheered in agreement. "I'm delighted you all came in," Jason said. The concert's second half had a few more surprises. Jason and Toca switched to livelier tempos and occasional operatic vocals. The fans were simply thrilled as the duo performed song after song, including "Catch Up to You". "I can hear you talking amongst yourselves... speaking in another language," Jason said as some in the audience conversed in Filipino to share their joy about experiencing the concert. "This is the kind of place where I could stay," Jason intoned. The Manila fans cheered in appreciation. Jason: "I'm yours" Grateful, Jason sang "I'm Yours" for his finale. Everyone was on their feet. Jason surprised them with some vocal gymnastics and got the fans to again go into sing-along mode with him. Completely gone was the hesitation Jason and the crowd had early in the evening as they sang in unison, "No, I won't hesitate. No more. No more. It cannot wait. I'm yours." As the concert drew to a close, Jason threw his bandana into the crowd nearest him. Some lucky lady caught the coveted souvenir. The night was short and Jason had to travel onward to Taipei for the second leg of his Asian tour, but he departed with keepsakes from Filipinos. Fans sang to Jason, "Look into your heart and you'll find love!" — KBK, GMA News