Last night, I went to see Jason Mraz’s concert, “Tour is a Four Letter Word,” at the Shanghai Grand Stage. Come to think of it, this was actually my first time ever attending a concert. Ten years ago, when I was in Changchun, I used to dream about how great it would be to live in Beijing or Shanghai, where stars were always coming to hold concerts. But after moving to Shanghai, I found that while there are indeed plenty of concerts, the tickets aren’t cheap either. Since I’ve never really been much of a groupie anyway, and having lived for a time in the remote Jiading district, there weren’t many shows I felt compelled to see. As a result, despite being in Shanghai for ten years, I’d never been to a single concert.
Most Chinese people probably know Jason Mraz from his song “I’m Yours,” but that came much later. I discovered him back in 2006 and was once absolutely captivated by his music. I loved his voice—so fresh and pure. Back then, I had long bus rides whenever I went out, so I’d just loop his album “Mr. A-Z” on my Touch over and over again. Later, I explored more of his discography, including “Waiting for My Rocket to Come,” “Tonight, Not Again,” and “Selections for Friends.” After watching videos of several of his live performances, I was completely won over by his stage presence. I even started feeling that his live versions sounded better than the studio recordings. He doesn’t need flashy stage lighting or elaborate effects at all—a full band, or sometimes just a single guitar, is more than enough. I remember thinking back then how amazing it would be if Jason Mraz ever came to China for a concert. Little did I know that yesterday, my dream would finally come true~~~~~
I have to say, the sound quality at the venue was absolutely phenomenal—it makes me want to toss out all the audio gear I usually listen with… Anyway, here are some photos: Nikon D90 + 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, post-processed in Lightroom 4.
Also attached is the setlist from the Shanghai concert:
The World as I See It
Everything Is Sound
The Freedom Song
Life Is Wonderful
Only Human
Be Honest
Lucky
Make It Mine
Frank D. Fixer
The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)
Love for a Child
Who’s Thinking About You Now?
The Woman I Love
A Beautiful Mess
I Won’t Give Up
93 Million Miles
Song for a Friend
You and I Both
Living in the Moment
I’m Yours
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