The Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride: Jason Mraz & The Superband with special guest Ripe came through the Finger Lakes area on Wednesday night as they played CMAC PAC. Mraz released his 8th studio effort ‘The Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride’ last summer. He is on another leg to support the album. During the day, the area had to deal with on and off rain storms that were left over remnants of Hurricane Beryl.
Opening the show were band called Ripe. The music you can classify as funk, alternative rock and pop with a splash of blues and R&B to tap it off. This eclectic band formed out of Berklee College in Boston. Attending such a prestigious music school, you can see why they have such a wide mixture of blends to their music. After they took to the stage using Rush’s “Tom Sawyer,” I thought they would have a lot to live up to and they didn’t disappoint. They mixed originals and covers in their 45 minute set. Led by lead vocalist Robbie Wulfsohn and his big afro, the band delivered an impressive original “First Time Feeling.” The band uses a mix of horns and that gave a good flavor to their music. They did a full cover of Phil Collen’s “Sussudio” and a snippet of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ which led into “Downward.” They closed with a fun track in “Goon Squad.” It was a cool set and hope to see these guys again soon.
Headlining the show was Jason Mraz. Mraz took to the stage and he and his band went into the appropriate opener “Getting Started.” Soon thereafter, Mraz addressed the crowd (which we he would do a few times throughout the performance). He stated that his main concern was to ensure everyone had a great time and that they got what they came for. Well, they sure did that as Mraz set lasted and hour and 45 minutes while the band did a total of 18 tracks. As stated earlier, Mraz came off very endearing while sharing a heartfelt story of a childhood friend having cancer. He went on to say that he just celebrated a birthday last week. He said the song “The Remedy” was about folks like him. He said always stay positive and in the moment. That’s where “Be Where Your Feet Are” originated. Mraz had a wonderful backing band that supported him. They played a multitude of various instruments and some switched it up playing different instruments at a time. He incorporated some local humor during his song “Pancakes and Butter.” He changed a verse. Instead of saying “Feels like lightning and thunder,” he instead said “Love Feels Like a Garbage Plate in Rochester” which drew a lot of cheers from the crowd (You will have to google to see what that actually is). A very colorful “Butterfly” was played as various colors of them were all over the video backdrop. The band didn’t bother doing a traditional encore, instead they just played straight through ending with the upbeat and fun “Feel Like Dancing.”
Regardless of the weather conditions, about 4,000 people braved the elements to catch one of the most delightful shows of the summer. Both acts were up to the task of delivering a show worthy for all who were in attendance!
Setlist:
Getting Started
Fool Good Too
The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)
3 Things
Living in the Moment
Good Old Daze
Be Where Your Feet Are
Look for the Good
Make it Mine (Started with a snippet of Never Gonna Give You Up – Rock Astley cover)
Butterfly
Pancakes & Butter
Disco Sun
93 Million Miles
I Won’t Give Up
Have It All
You Might Like It
I’m Yours
Feel Like Dancing
We would like to thank Jordynn Gould from CMAC for the credentials to review the show.
