Once again I have had the blessing of seeing The MAN live in concert. And the MAN I speak of, and who is ultimately deserving of a capitol M-A-N....is of course Jason Mraz. If you don't know of him...get ready. If you have never heard his music...I am sorry for your lack of art and wonderfulness and beauty in your life. Yes. . . he is that great.
This would be my fourth Mraz concert and each one is different and amazing in it's own way. He rocked the house as usual. His CD's are great and the music is thoughtful and enlightening and fun...but there is nothing like seeing it live. He is a poet-singer with a voice unlike anyone I have ever heard, and he writes like a genius. Not only music, but just in general. For a sample of the mind I love so much, check out his journal on his website. www.jasonmraz.com. He updates regularly, however he is on tour right now, so they are on hold for a while. But go back and read some archives...he is very funny...much entertainment.
I digress...back to the concert. When we first got to the campus at UMKC, Scott and I were walking up to the building where the concert was being held. My eye for tour busses never fails me so I spotted it when we were pulling up. We happened to have to walk right beside the bus to get to the line at the door. As we were approaching I saw a skinny fellow along with another, standing outside the bus smoking. When the pink of his t-shirt hit my eye, I knew it was him. The fact that no one was around and people were just casually walking by him made me doubt my suspicion that it was Jason. We got closer and it became more apparent....Gorgeous as ever...there he was in the flesh. He was talkin on his cell phone. As we walked by, he turned around and looked me in the eye. I'm sure he was slightly frightened when he saw I had one of his t-shirts on...but I didn't want to bother him just then anyway. I am just that way with celebrities. Although I don't really see him as such a celebrity. I never want to go up and talk to them, as much as my mind is telling me to just do it, cause I will maybe never get the chance again. But everyone does that...and I don't want to be another one of those annoying people. It's just an awkward situation all around. Fame is such a weird thing. Here is this random stranger, who doesn't know anything about you, but feels like they do because your career dictates that you are cranked into their lives on a daily basis. That must be very tough to deal with. These people feel a connection with you from music, interviews, concerts, meeting, etc. Even though we know that we will never truly know these so called "idols", it doesn't take away the fact that this relationship that is created, however weird it may be, still exists. This is what creates such an awkward situation when you finally see these people face to face. - I walked on past him and gave a little smile. I also saw Toca up in the window of the bus. Later, waiting in the line, I was wishing I just would have waved or something. He really probably wouldn't have minded.
After the show, and two hours of being utterly annoyed by some blonde bimbos that think they deserve to show up at 9:00 and push up in front of everyone in the crowd who has been there since 5:00, just because they reek of silicone and low self-esteem....I was amazed once again at the performance I just witnessed, despite the rude interruption. Scott and I met up with Tricia, Chrissy, and Mellisa after the show. We casually sat down on a ledge right by the bus I had my eye-contact encounter near earlier that evening. We had a good time out there for that hour and a half. We were chatting and laughing up a storm and just waiting to see what we could see, and maybe catch a glimpse of the Man. The band members trickled out of the venue and some came and talked to us, Toca included. He is such a cool guy. He just came over to us voluntarily, just to chat. It was a very "uncelebrity" thing to do, and it warmed my heart. We talked with him for a while, and then Jason came out ushered to his bus by two cops. We thought that he probably wasn't up for chatting much, hence the quick jump onto the bus. However we saw him in the bus window, grabbing a bite to eat and then he started peeking out and hangin out the window. The girls around us caught on to the fact that he was in that bus and started crowding around. He finally came out so we all went up to talk to him a bit. I hate it when there are a bunch of people around asking for autographs and pictures. You have to like wait your turn in line, and to me it makes the object of all this attention seem like some sort of circus attraction. I hate even taking part in that type of worshiping activity, it just feels odd to me. How can you make that person realize that you really enjoy what they do and aren't just trying to pull energy or anything from them - like alot of people do. You want to let them know that you know they are just another human being. Sure I wanted a picture with him, but more than that I just wanted to tell him that he makes me smile everyday. That even though he doesn't know me, I know a PART of him, and I am thankful for that. I didn't get to do that....but maybe next time.
This was the second time I got to meet Jason. He is very soft spoken. Comes off as a very shy person...and I can relate to that well. He was nothing but nice and down to earth. When I stepped up and asked for a picture with him, he made sure to ask my name and shake my hand. Told me he liked my shirt. . . Joked with us a bit. He was very refreshing, as far as "famous" people go. He really seemed like he tried to talk to everyone and make sure everyone was happy. Very respectable. Oh and side note...he was drinking a SugarFree Red Bull on Ice. . . only the drink that I have nearly every morning. Coincidence? I think not.
So needless to say this was one of the best nights that I will probably have this year. By the way, I would like to give a shout out and big high five to Tricia for yelling "Kiss Her!" right before the picture was taken with me and the MAN. I am forever in your debt. And yes....even though it was a painful experience and I waited as long as I could...I did wash my cheek. Damn the soap.
Next time Jason comes around....check him out...you won't be dissapointed.
He may be skinny at times but he's Phat full of rhymes. I'm out....
