music magic make peace

Out of all the concerts I have been to (and I have been to a lot), this is one of the most enjoyable ones. Toronto's stop for this tour was located at the Kool Haus. Fans lined up for hours. I got there at 2pm and there were at least 50 people ahead of me. Rumour has it some came at 3a.m... that's when I went to bed!

The crew came out to entertain the liner-uppers before the show. Two mics and two speakers and three guys made peace and made music. The Makepeace Brothers performed some songs while Mraz and his crew juggled some pins. Jason and his drummer, Toca, went around the line and did some freestylin' with a banjo. As they passed me, I held my camera and video-recorded in one hand while my other tried to take a Polaroid. Not only did Jason pose for my photo, he sang about me for about two seconds. "Girl with the Polaroid," that's me. This was just the beginning.

This was no typical concert. This was a party. A festival. A celebration. A strange night of what the title said the show would entail: music, magic, and Makepeace. Jason Mraz brought along a whole crew of boys who love fun, games and witty jokes. With his buddy Bushwalla, he took under his wings unsigned artist The Makepeace Brothers, three good looking young fellas who are actually brothers and bear the last name Makepeace. They also invited Justin Kredible, a magician who used to be a correspondence on the Rachel Ray Show, to host the spectacle.

If you were looking forward to waiting in silence and sweat between sets, you would be deeply disappointed. Not only did all the musicians come out during every set to collaborate and join in on the fun with some guest starring, Justin Kredible performed magic tricks and silly jokes to entertain. Saying "LOL," and "Double-U, Tee, Eff" out loud wasn't enough. He also cleverly used the crowd and audience helpers and laughed at their expense. No one seemed to have been offended.

The music was brilliant. Sound quality was great. The crowd did sing-alongs and we swayed, smiled, and cried at the end. My eyes watered during "You & I Both," as he played the song on his own in the dark, strumming his guitar in the most stunning acoustic setting I have ever witnessed. A girl against the barricade in the very front gave me a huge hug when she heard it was my first time seeing Jason in concert. While I didn't get a setlist thanks to the unfriendly staff at Kool Haus (and I was quite upset that they attempted to ruin my wonderful night - though they failed), I couldn't help but grin as I walked out the doors.

Aside from Jason, I met everyone I wanted to, have unbelievable Polaroids for memories and had the time of my life with a few of my favourite people. The night was memorable and I can't wait until Jason comes back. Let's hope that it won't be another three years until he does so.