You’re lying down on the beach, eyes blissfully closed, the sun pleasantly hot on your skin. Jason Mraz’s voice is as cool as a summer breeze, with Noel “Toca” Rivera’s gentle yet steady Djembe grooves calming the frenetic pace of your heart and mind.

You open your eyes, and you’re suddenly transported back to reality; for one disorienting moment, the cozy, chill-out atmosphere in the SMART Araneta Coliseum makes you think you’re in a coffee shop. A very big, packed coffee shop, that is.

The venue was filled to bursting, no small feat for someone who’s already regaled Manila with his music several times in the past few years. Maybe it helped that ticket prices were actually reasonably priced, compared to the other concerts that week. Then there’s the fact that it’s the last hurrah before sembreak ends, and right smack in the middle of a rare four-day weekend to boot.

But whatever it is, for many concert-loving Pinoys, there was no better way to end an insanely eventful month than to unwind at the American pop troubadour’s all-acoustic gig last Oct. 30. Intimate or arena-sized, the venue made no difference.

Sporting a beard and a plain black shirt with “Peace” written on it, longish hair held back by a bandanna, Jason was as comfortable in the spotlight as he probably is in his own bedroom, barefoot and eating while jamming. Stripped down in his acoustic guitars, he was completely in his element. And, together with his bosom buddy’s flawless percussion playing, he was simply unstoppable.

The one-night-only Manila concert is part of the dynamic duo’s global acoustic jam series that celebrates the 10th anniversary of their classic indie album, “Live at Java Joe’s.” The first half of the 22-song repertoire set the dreamy, chillout mood for the rest of the evening; the set started with lesser-known tracks like “She’s The Bomb,” “If It Kills Me” and “A Beautiful Mess,” interspersed with snippets of beloved standards like The Beatles’ “Across The Universe” and Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon.”

But the moment he broke into the old favorite “You And I Both,” the crowd was instantly on its feet. This was followed by the most phenomenal number of the night: “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry)” segueing into Oasis’ “Wonderwall.” It was as if the crowd awoke from a collective trance, erupting into screams and heartily singing along in tribute to the bygone days of acoustic mania. That was a great stress-busting experience if there ever was one.

Wordplay whiz

Like the wordplay whiz he’s known to be, Jason entertained the crowd with the countless tricks up his sleeve, glibly adlibbing whenever he got the chance. He could sing an entire dictionary and it would still sound good. He even sang a bit of opera and playfully engaged in vocal calisthenics with the crowd.

The fans got creative, too, putting up banners that read “Loca for Toca” and “Mrazzle Dazzle.” It was nice to see people giving due credit to Jason’s indispensable wingman. Before the encore, the entire coliseum literally rumbled with the fans’ collective stomping up in the bleachers, and the duo gladly indulged the crowd with four more songs.

His “humanitarian hippie” look did come in handy, as Jason announced his advocacy for MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking, an antihuman trafficking awareness campaign) by quipping, “Real men don’t buy girls.” The slogan was a reference to another cause that he supports—the Demi and Ashton (DNA) Foundation, an antichild sex slavery movement founded by the Hollywood power couple.

The crowd’s surprise was also evident when he dedicated “Rescue” to a certain Cecilia, who was actually Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, founder and director of the Visayan Forum Foundation (VF) and one of the world’s foremost advocates in the fight against modern-day slavery.

Of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without them performing the multi-platinum hit single and everyone’s feel-good song “I’m Yours,” amidst deafening cheers and heartfelt singing. Truly, love was all around; it felt more like Christmas or Valentine’s Day instead of Halloween, what with the abundance of good vibes filling up the entire arena.

Jason and Toca, Manila is yours. Hope you bring more than one bandanna to throw to the audience next time.

“Jason Mraz live in Manila: A Special Acoustic Evening with Toca Rivera” was brought to you by DAYLY Entertainment.