Jason Mraz, live at the Ryan Center, February 12, 2009
By CHRISTINE CHOE | February 23, 2009
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Girls scream and swoon when pop singer Jason Mraz takes the stage at the University of Rhode Island's Ryan Center as he officially ends their search for the "perfect man" two days before Valentine's Day. And while Mraz may be a chick-magnet, there are plenty of men in the crowd that don't seem to mind the virtual panty-dropping the singer incurs.
Donning his trademark brimmed hat, Mraz commands the stage with his fluid voice and easy-breezy manner, flirting with the audience with his sometimes sensual lyrics. His set is almost entirely comprised of songs from his latest album, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Thing and the opening song, "Make It Mine," sets the jazzy tone for the night. The pinnacle of the night arrives when Mraz's "super band" brass trio arises from the second tier of the audience and blasts out the tune "Live High." The crowd explodes like wanton virgins on prom night again as favorites are strummed out like the cult single "I'm Yours" and "Lucky," a duet with Colbie Caillat.
Perhaps even more cutsier than his songs are the cheesy lines he serves up near the end of the night, telling URI students that they "put the URI in touring." But everyone seems to forgive him. Who can hold cheesy one-liners against a guy who tells you that he "la la la la love[s] you?"
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