So how was the "concert of the century" at Vanderbilt Stadium? Jason Mraz, B+ This guy's a friggin’ weirdo. He invited the ladies to burp the words and the guys to sing in high falsetto. He tried (but failed epically) to get the crowd to "send [their] voices into outer space" in some kind of Buddhist sutra chant. Perhaps a fan of popular YouTube mash-ups of his songs, he rearranged "The Remedy" to include "Wonderwall" by Oasis and just about every genre under the sun. I liked it a lot; he had me laughing my ass off. But his routine didn’t seem to go over too well with the crowd, most of whom had “wtf” written all over their faces, wondering why JM wouldn’t hurry up and play “I’m Yours” so they could make out with their significant other. JM’s either naturally weird, or he’s trying really, really hard to develop a cult of personality. The fact that you can’t tell speaks well for him, though. Such is life at the upper echelons of the music business. Am I the only one who thinks JM looks just like Paul McCartney? A Modest Proposal: JM should join forces with Oasis and make a 21st-century Beatles, or start wearing weird outfits and develop a cult following (?† la David Bowie) as a Plan B to mainstream success. Dave Matthews Band, B+ Yeah, they're world-class musicians and everything, I understand and appreciate that. But it's like they feel the need to prove that fact to the world every single second of their performance. The one exception – where they actually calmed down and settled into a groove – came during "Burnin' Down the House," their one cover and their best song of the night – one might argue, their only “song” of the night. See, by burying all their songs in 10-minute jam sessions, they take away from each song's personality until nothing remains but "Oh, another dueling sax-trumpet solo, this must be Dave Matthews." DMB has somehow harnessed the swagger of America’s three loudest cities – New Orleans, New York, Motown – and multiplied it by 10,000 watts. It's just too much; they come off as being way too into themselves. Ironically, my least favorite part about Dave Matthews Band is… Dave Matthews. His voice is distinctive, and “works” with the music, but he has to really strain to be heard through the wall of instruments. DMB could easily be the best band in the world if they would just pull back every once in awhile and let Dave – or another singer – take center stage. Of course this will never happen because DMB’s penchant for loud, raucous, 3-hour long jam sessions has elevated them to “legendary” status among Gen Y’s preppy frat stars and Gen X’s polo-wearing, red-meat eating, Budweiser-drinking, Marlboro-smoking, patriotic, business-major Middle Americans. But if these people would stop whacking off to DMB every night before bedtime, wake up, and actually start demanding more from them, DMB might stand a chance at unseating the throne of Stadium Rock Superstardom currently held by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. A Modest Proposal: If I were Dave Matthews, I would fire myself, replace myself with someone with the voice of Bonnie Tyler and the charisma of Anthony Keidis, write real songs, and order my musicians to take fewer solos and play more 70’s/80’s/Motown covers. Overall a fun time. The weather was sheer bliss.