Things Get Emotional at Labor Day
Benefit Concert
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Tuesday,
September 3, 2013
By
Rachel Cabakoff
The Santa Barbara Bowl welcomed
Jason Mraz
on a scorching Labor Day for an early show as part of his Tour Is a Four Letter
Word outing. The late afternoon set list paired well with the long weekend, as
well as the night’s do-good message.
Nonprofit Life Rolls on (LRO) was
the beneficiary of Monday’s concert supporting spinal-cord-injury research and
quality-of-life support. Founder Jesse Billauer
and Mraz
worked closely together and put the show on to honor the 17th anniversary of Billauer’s
surfing accident, which happened when he was 17 years old.
Mraz’s
band proved to be a solid pop/jazz ensemble that included a saxophonist, a
trumpet player, and a bassist, all of whom contributed notable solos throughout
the show. Mraz
also reworked some numbers, including inserting quick vibrato phrases into
“Only Human” and “Live High.” Later, “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” got mashed up
with Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O” song, successfully injecting the show with a
necessary dose of reggae. The laid-back vibes carried over to “You and I Both,”
which Mraz
used as a bridge to his cover of Bob Marley’s “Everything’s Gonna
Be Alright.”
A variety of guests were welcomed
up to the mike, too, including drummer Michael “Leroy” Bram, percussionist Toca
Rivera, and budding singer Cody Lovaas.
Together, the crew sang “Rescue,” which Mraz dedicated to all of the volunteers
of LRO.
Things got surprisingly emotional
when Billauer
came out to express his gratitude and appreciation for the audience’s support.
“Being able to change people’s lives one event at a time, to me, is priceless,”
Billauer
said before Mraz
returned to encore with the fittingly touching “Song for a Friend.”
Related
Links
Jason Mraz’s
Big Picture [ August 29, 2013 ]
