Jason Mraz w/ G. Love, K’Naan, Bushwalla
Uptown Amphitheatre/Fillmore
July 28, 2009
Photos coming soon!
The Deal: Jason Mraz and G. Love move outdoor show at Uptown Amphitheatre into The Fillmore after heavy downpour.
The Good: The concert was supposed to happen at the Uptown Amphitheatre, but rain came pouring down part-way through K’Naan’s set. As people scrambled for shelter from the thunderstorm, a stage was slowly put together inside the neighboring Fillmore. Though roughly 4,000 tickets were sold for the show, only 2,000 would get into The Fillmore — a lot of people left in the rain and 1,800 stuck around. I also heard that lawn ticket holders were told they could not get into The Fillmore. What those in attendance got was a 45-minute, solo acoustic set by G. Love and a nearly two-hour acoustic, full-band set by Mraz. (Mraz was only scheduled for an hour and 15 minutes for outside, but I guess the three-hour wait was worth it for those who remained.)
G. Love remained seated and alone on stage for his set that included a few requests. He also told the crowd that “the rain sucked. We’ll be back to play a full show as soon as we can.” He incorporated a good bit of crowd participation during “Baby’s Got Sauce” and “Who’s Got the Weed.”
Mraz hit the stage with his full band for a long set that ended around 1 a.m. The singer/songwriter clearly was having a good time and extended some of the songs into short jammy/jazzy moments. The stage cleared for him to perform “The Sunshine Song” on his own and he was joined by G. Love and Bushwalla for “Curbside Prophet.” He thanked the crowd for sticking around and paused for a moment to let neighbors thank each other for being a part of the night.
After being joined by Alysse of Cafe Gratitude for Lucky, he performed a two-song encore — “Fall Through Glass” with Bushwalla and “Butterfly.”
The Bad: The rain. Thousands of concert-goers braved massive thunderstorms in the hopes the show would go on… and wound up leaving. It’s hard to blame the bands — with all of that heavy rain soaking speakers and equipment, no one was there to see a musician get electrocuted. It’s the chance you take with an outdoor venue. On clear nights, it’s a fantastic place to see a show. Mraz has rescheduled the show for those who didn’t get to see the acoustic performance for Sept. 10 at the Uptown Amphitheatre.
The Verdict: G. Love and Mraz could have packed up and left, but thanks go to the performers and crew for getting everything set up at The Fillmore and to the crowd for sticking around and remaining orderly inside and outside both venues. It wound up being a great performance by both musicians that those in attendance felt lucky to witness.
G. Love setlist
Still hangin’ round
Fresh lila
Sunshine
Dirty booty call
Fixing to die
When we meet again
Sauce
Breaking down
Cold Beverages
Jason Mraz setlist
Reggaedy (Remedy)
Dynamo of Volition
Unfold
Beautiful Mess
The Only Live You Can Save
Pain & Joy > Live High
Abso-Zero
Life is Wonderful
Anything You Want
The Sunshine Song
You and I Both/Sleeping to Dream
Curbside Prophet (with G. Love and Bushwalla)
Traveler
Make it Mine
Lucky (with Alysse)
I’m Yours
Encore
Glass
Butterfly
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 4, 2009.
Went to the Jason Mraz concert last night. Will NEVER go back to the Uptown Amphitheatre venue again… EVER. Expecting a chance of rain, brought my umbrella. Was told umbrellas were “Not allowed” and was forced to return it to my car.
This is in a venue with UNCOVERED SEATING !?!? That strikes me as just plain stupid.
The Uptown Amphitheatre is a good example of the WORST that happens when big corporations try to be in a business they don’t understand… and DO NOT care about the customer (that’s me folks) at all. I’ll never be back.
In the end, I wound up paying $102.00 for 15 minutes of very bad music from the opening act. And got drenched in a dangerous and violent thunderstorm.
Did NOT see Jason Mraz.
How do I get my refund for the tickets? I want my money back!
Two things:
– Keep in mind that if you put up an umbrella, no one behind you can see… they don’t allow umbrellas at a lot of football games for the same reason. That’s why people have ponchos for sale, etc. It sucks, but you have to think of the other people.
– Refunds are being given – or you can keep the ticket and use it for the rescheduled Jason Mraz show being held on Sept. 10. Details coming at qcvibes.com about refunds and the new show.
Wow! I’ve never seen rain like that before. I’m glad the bands were nice enough to move indoors. However, I wasn’t able to see the show because I was one of maybe 30 that were standing in a nest of fire ant nest. By the time I could get out of line I had been bitten over 100 times. I went into shock in the parking lot and was taken to the hospital. I’m home now. Hope to see the show on the 10th. Word to the wise….don’t wear flip-flops.
I also got bit by fire ants last night and it wasn’t the first time (I also got bit at the fray concert)!
I realized pretty quickly that I got bit (about 2) so I went home and washed it and used rubbing alcohol so it’s a lot better now.
I am so glad they are rescheduling the concert! We were in line for the fillmore until I got bit!
I don’t see how any Jason Mraz fan can be upset about this. The venue and the artists have been as accomodating as they possibly can. An umbrella wouldn’t protect you from the violent electrical storm and you were much safer in your car.
K’naan was great for the time he was able to perform. Apparently, he’s drawn quite a following because I saw his video previewed on MTV last night. The rain and the waiting was slightly annoying. However, it gave the opportunity to see a great extended acoustic show that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. It was an awesome experience that created awesome memories. I loved it and I will try to go back in September as well if given the opportunity. I loved the intimacy of the venue. Everything is so close and convenient. I didn’t feel like I would lose my party if I left to go to the bathroom or get a drink. I’d prefer this over the larger ampitheaters anyday. I’m looking forward to seeing Jason, G-love, Bushwalla, K-naan and others at the Music Factory again.
Wow! There were some drawbacks. Parking is Sad! Waited in line from 7 until about 7:30 as traffic crawled to the parking lot. Then we found that the music wasn’t playing because of the storm. We waited. Instructions were not given very well… but we found ourselves standing in line for the Fillmore with everybody else. Rumor was that Lawn Seats weren’t getting in… but it was late and we were late… and had been bitten by the Ants… We’d come to far and they were going to have tell us No! In the end they didn’t even look at the tickets… as it was pouring again by the time we made our mad rush to the door. My daughter and I stood dripping wet for the next 3 plus hours as Jason Mraz did what he should have done but didn’t have to… Sing for those who love his music. Wow. He’s a Great musician and it was a night that I, as a father to a 19 year old young lady will never forget. Great Birthday… and I am so very thankful that they didn’t just fold and up and leave… it was worth our adventure!