IN CONCERT: Jason Mraz and Raining Jane
Where: Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton St.
When: Wednesday, July 13, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $57.50-$139.25 from the Royal McPherson box office, , 250-386-6121
With material from seven studio albums to choose from, and an eighth on the way, San Diego singer-songwriter Jason Mraz has options aplenty when it comes to creating his setlist for concerts.
Unlike some artists, whose sets follow a predictable path, Mraz said his change from night to night, a decision that is affected by a variety of factors. He builds on the success of previous shows by moving songs around, and learns from his mistakes by removing ones that didn’t work. He also takes a look at some suggestions from social media, and fans “who I’ve run into before the show who might have a request,” to come up with a final running order.
That means his diehard fans will find something special at each one of his concerts, no matter how many times they have seen him perform. Mraz said he will also be debuting on this tour songs from his upcoming album, which is due this year. For an artist with a fervent following, evidenced by career album sales totals of nearly eight million copies, that is worth noting.
“I try to have something change every tour, and I do that by having a different band with me, or focusing on a different set of songs,” Mraz, 45, said during an interview with the Times 91原创.
“It doesn’t ever feel like the same thing. It always kind of feels like the first time, believe it or not. I don’t think about the old days, I don’t think about my old ways. I just think about the new. I just think about tomorrow, really.”
The native of Mechanicsville, Virginia, whose 91原创 tour gets underway in Victoria on Wednesday, said he’s been looking forward to performing here for several years. His summer schedule was routed around his 15-date 91原创 tour, which resulted in dates in California, Oregon, and Washington being added in advance of his Royal Theatre performance. Stops in 91原创icut and New York were also arranged to follow his final 91原创 stop in Halifax on July 31.
The two-time Grammy Award winner kicked off his Lalalalivesongs Tour, to promote the Lalalalovesongs compilation which arrived in February, with dates in San Diego on July 2 and 3. They were sold-out and very well received, which was to be expected; the folk-pop performer has lived in the city since 1999. But Mraz said he felt a renewed sense of energy during these concerts, likely due to a long layoff brought about by the pandemic.
That bodes well for his most extensive run of 91原创 dates in more than a decade. “We’re giddy. Anyone who is there really wants to be there, and it shows. There’s a real excitement that has been in the crowd so far.”
Mraz is the type of soft-spoken, unassuming performer whose easygoing nature belies his impressive accomplishments. And they are indeed impressive: His official video for the song, I’m Yours, has been viewed 678 million times on YouTube, while his videos for 93 Million Miles, I Won’t Give Up, and Lucky have a combined 450 million views. I’m Yours also has the record as the most-streamed song of the 2000s by a solo artist on Spotify, with nearly 1.4 billion streams.
That type of A-level success enabled Mraz to purchase and a develop a five-acre piece of land in Oceanside, California, which has since grown into a fully functioning 18-acre organic farm. When he bought the property in 2004, Mraz said he hadn’t fully embraced healthy living, and was still drinking beer and smoking cigarettes (he has since given up both and is now a vegetarian).
He quickly realized that lifestyle wouldn’t amount to long-term success in the music industry, which is known for its excess. “As a band, we know that our health, our presence of mind, our state of consciousness, all of that, is what matters the most so we can be on stage and be present with each other, with the music, and with the audience.”
His decision to adopt a healthy lifestyle on and off the road was greatly affected by a stint opening for the Rolling Stones in 2005. He was with the group for five shows on their Bigger Bang Tour, which until 2009 was the highest-grossing tour in history. Despite the scale of each show, Mraz was blown away by the band’s focus on creature comforts, especially when it came to food.
“I was still smoking cigarettes, drinking beer, eating junk food, all of that stuff,” Mraz said. “But then I went backstage and it was all health food. Everybody was taking care of themselves. Mick Jagger was on a treadmill. And then it clicked. If you want to do this your whole life, you have to eat healthy. You have to have sustainable practices for your body. That transformed me.”
