Currently I am at my desk, curled over my coffee cup, staring bleary-eyed at my computer screen. I’m a big proponent for getting a full night’s sleep, especially when one has to do something like, y’know, work the next day.

But I didn’t get a full night’s sleep last night, and I’m so not sorry.

Yesterday evening, around dinner time, Luc and I jumped in the car and made a bee-line for Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre. It felt a bit weird to be heading in that direction at that hour, especially on a Sunday. It was also kind of exciting too though – like playing hooky.

Turns out being an adult has its advantages sometimes.

So does pre-ordering the latest album of your all-time favourite musical artist for the purposes of 1) having it right away, and 2) getting access to pre-sale tickets for said artist’s world tour when he stops in a city near by.

That’s right – it’s been months since I wrote about scoring super awesome tickets to Jason Mraz’s Love is a Four Letter Word tour. After months of patiently waiting, it was finally time.

Luc and I in our sweet seats. Totally worth it.

The weather was perfect and our seats really were fantastic. We sat down just in time for Mr. A-Z himself to step on stage and introduce show-opener Christina Perri (facts: I was relatively indifferent about whether or not we made it in time to see her but DAMN am I glad we did. What a supreme talent that woman is!)

This was my third time seeing Jason but I think it’s safe to say that this was my favourite show yet. He opened with “You and I Both” and “The Remedy” and I INSTANTLY burst into tears (destined not to be the only time that night either).

But it wasn’t the “I’M A CRAZY FAN AND CANNOT CONTAIN ALL OF MY FEELS” kind of crying. It’s amazing how much emotion we attached to music. I’ve been listening to Jason’s songs since I was a teenager, his albums inadvertently serving as the soundtracks to some pivotal periods of my life. Those two songs in particular carry a lot of weight for me, and to hear them live, back-to-back, right away like that was overwhelming in the most incredible way.

I don’t think it will ever stop being amazing to see this man pay live.

You know you’ve just witnessed a great live musical experience when it also serves to be unexpectedly cathartic.

As always, Jason and his band (carefully hand-picked as usual. Even Canadian sweetheart Nikki Yanofsky – you know, who sang the Olympic “I Believe” anthem in Vancouver – made an appearance when she performed the lady-half to the lovey-dovey duet, “Lucky”) were mind-blowingly good. They played a lot of Jason’s classics and brought Love to life beautifully. You can’t help but get into it when you watch a group of (insanely talented) people who love, live and breathe music perform. It’s like being given a very precious gift – I always leave feeling very grateful for getting to be a part of it.

I was also very happy to have Luc with me. It’s nice to be able to share something that awesome with someone you care about. It’s even better when that someone doesn’t really start as a fan but really gets into the experience and turns to you at the end of the night and says, “that was really awesome”.

Mission accomplished.

Besides all the music and talent and feelings, I feel as though I’d be remissed if I didn’t touch on two of the themes of both the album and the tour: gratitude and love. Love of self, life, the world we live and the people we share it with. Gratitude for everything, the good and the bad and the chance to be here.

I love my life and the amazing people I get to share it with. I’m grateful for the opportunities and experiences that give me stories to tell and for the chance to tell them, like here on this blog.

I’m also grateful to you guys for reading

Spread the love, my friends.