2005 ACL Fest Home > Reports from the ACL Festival > Archives > 2005 > September > 25 > Entry
Naked in the sun with Jason Mraz
When Jason Mraz introduced his drummer, Adam King, during their ACL Fest performance Sunday, Mraz said, “He hasn’t seen this many naked people since Glastonbury.”
I have news for him: Maybe being naked helped at that U.K. festival, but it sure wouldn’t have made a difference in the afternoon heat at Zilker Park — unless those naked people were skinny-dipping. If this weekend’s weather proved anything, it’s that Austin’s festival needs to move back even further. October would have to be cooler. Otherwise, it needs to go back to two days. As it is now, the event is just too much of an endurance test. Mraz wound up playing to an audience that might have been far more enthusiastic — screaming girls notwithstanding — if they’d been able to do much more than try to keep from sweating to death.
Mraz’s performance also lacked the spontaneity and witty repartee that endeared him to a boatload of critics during a special South By Southwest performance in March. The funniest moment of his performance — screaming girls notwithstanding — was when he stopped in the middle of his big hit, “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” and said, “In case you guys missed it,” then launched into a verse of “Wonderwall,” by Oasis, who played Saturday night. His songs were pleasant enough, however, and when he hit a little reggae groove in “I’m Yours,” swaying his hips and singing in his highest falsetto, he drew another round of screams.
Mraz is lite pop, lite funk, lite jazz, lite Jack Johnson. But hey, when he unleashes his witty wordplay, as he finally did in “The Remedy,” even big girls — and guys — seem to like him fine.
Comments
By mr. a-z
September 26, 2005 03:34 PM | Link to this
Jason Mraz was, in my opinion, the best performance at ACL. He was energetic, witty, thankful to be at the concert, and definitely pleased the crowd. I thought that the best moment was when he closed with “Geek in the Pink” by moving onto the closer stage and rapping to the crowd. He is a great performer, just the type ACL fans want to see year after year. Bring him back!!!
By fan
September 26, 2005 08:55 PM | Link to this
the only thing written correctly in your article is that ACL should be moved back a week or two…Mraz not only proved that he can hang with the big headliners, but people were swarming in closer to see him. His rapping and funny quirks are what makes his music. Maybe you should listen closer…