“This song is about waking up on the wrong side of the bed and saying, ‘Oh, hell, no, I’m gonna make my own rainbow,’” Jason Mraz told the giggling, cheering crowd before launching into the lighthearted track “Hello, You Beautiful Thing” from “Yes!”—his fifth and latest album.

 

It’s not easy staying positive in troubled times, but the thirty-something troubadour and his merry backing band Raining Jane spread warmth and cheer like a proverbial ray of sunshine at Smart Araneta Coliseum last Nov. 27.

 

Mraz’s concert was part of his world tour for the aptly titled album “Yes!”—which he had written and recorded in its entirety with Rainy Jane, an all-female indie folk-rock quartet from Los Angeles, California: Mai Bloomfield (guitar/cello), Becky Gebhardt (guitar), Chaska Potter (bass/guitar/sitar) and Mona Tavakoli (percussion).

 

The acoustic show came on the heels of Mraz’s 2013 Manila gig promoting his fourth album “Love Is A Four-Letter Word.”

 

Ever-engaging

 

The show opened literally on a positive note with “Life is Wonderful” from Mraz’s 2005 album “Mr. A-Z,” followed by the reggae-flavored “I Take the Music” and the carpe diem anthem “Make It Mine” from 2008’s “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.”

 

The audience started singing along during the duet “Lucky” (with Bloomfield singing Colbie Caillat’s parts), Mraz spicing it up by adding a medley of ’80s and ’90s pop hits: Spandau Ballet’s “True”; P.M. Dawn’s “Set Adrift on Memory Bliss”; and Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.”

 

Soulful serenades came in the form of the love song “Quiet,” the bittersweet “A Beautiful Mess,” and Mraz’s heartrending solo piano performance of “Mr. Curiosity” in which he showcased his vocal versatility by singing an opera bit—in a female soprano’s voice.

 

Ever engaging and comical, Mraz entertained the crowd with choice Tagalog greetings like “Masaya ako sa aking pagbalik (I’m glad to be back)” and the requisite “Mahal ko kayo (I love you).” He was also unafraid of poking fun at his own talent, saying that he tends to write the same songs (“This is the 2008 version of the song you’ve just heard…”).

 

Turning serious, he admitted that while people call him a positive person, he actually writes songs when he’s sad, and that he transforms his sadness into something that makes him (and other people) happy.

 

A staunch environmentalist, Mraz seized the chance to acknowledge a group of his fans in the audience who had spearheaded a tree-planting campaign for his 36th birthday last year. “Thank you for inspiring us to plant,” the group’s makeshift banner read, to which Mraz earnestly replied, “You inspire me.”

 

The “green” theme continued with more breezy “Yes!” tracks: the foot-stomping, feel-good “3 Things,” “Back to the Earth” (with a photo of Mraz’s beautiful 5 1/2-acre avocado farm used as stage backdrop) and “Bottom of the Sea”—in which he showed a video of his recent trip with Tavakoli to Antarctica, where he kayaked and photographed dancing penguins while reflecting on the effects of climate change. He even regaled the ship’s all-Filipino crew with an impromptu concert, as a token of gratitude for taking care of him.

 

Mesmerizing end

 

After a brief intermission (“Inner-mission,” Mraz called it), the group hopped back onstage for the more laid-back half of the set, starting with “Love Someone,” the carrier single from “Yes!”

 

But there was also a bit of funk from Mraz’s early days such as “Song for a Friend,” “Geek in the Pink” and “Only Human,” even hopeless romantics softly sang along to “Long Drive.”

 

Against a galaxy-themed backdrop, Mraz brought the set to a mesmerizing end with a tranquil version of his first megahit “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” segueing into a sitar solo by Potter, “93 Million Miles,” “Shine,” and the undisputed crowd favorite “I’m Yours.”

 

For the encore, the Big Dome turned into a blanket of twinkling stars as people held up their smartphone flashlights while swaying along to the soaring ballad “I Won’t Give Up.” Mraz and Raining Jane wrapped up the nearly three hour-long show with the only sad track on “Yes!”—the spine-chilling a cappella version of G. C. Cameron’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” as Mraz cheekily changing the last word to “the Philippines.”

 

Evolution

 

It’s been 10 years since the singer-songwriter’s first full-length Manila concert, and his Filipino fans have been fortunate to witness his evolution: as a lovable goofball who scats and dishes out tongue-in-cheek throwbacks to classic pop songs (singing Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That” in roller skates and a turned-up collar in 2004 comes to mind); wearing bandanas and flipflops while rendering campfire ditties with percussionist Toca Rivera in 2011; and now as a yoga-loving vegan in a fedora who sings about hope, heartache and love for Mother Nature with his quirky all-female posse.

 

But if there’s one thing that has remained constant throughout his career, it’s that you can always rely on Mraz to write songs brimming with optimism and a touch of wistfulness.

 

The tracks on “Yes!” are solid proof. This collaboration with “the Janes,” as Mraz calls the group, imparted a touch of folksy, feminine charm to his sensitive lyricism—the women’s harmonies blending beautifully with his light, honey-smooth tenor.

 

Also noteworthy is his ability to retain the coffeeshop vibe and special connection with his audience, regardless of the size of the venue.

 

All in all, this was a concert worth the money, time and effort in braving the weird weather and the horrendous rush-hour traffic.

 

Because Mraz’s perennially sunny outlook in life, love and music shines through in each of his performances, we knew everyone went home with nothing but good vibes and gratitude in their hearts.