Every now and then, Present Sam - who has the time, location, and disposable income - indulges Past Sam in gigs that he would have wanted to go to when he was 14⁄15. So when Jason Mraz is playing an acoustic solo set at the Beacon the night before my birthday, well, what was I meant to do. Without wishing to be a stereotype, the early stuff is the more interesting stuff, and even though I’ve kept a vague eye on the proceedings after the first three albums, that’s really what I’m here for. Mraz is a charming stage presence (“this is a cover song”, as he introduces I’m Yours), with an opening song setting the scene for this being a journey through the discography. If you’d asked me before the show which songs I’d love to hear but knew I had minimal chance of hearing, I’d have told you Please Don’t Tell Her, A Beautiful Mess, and Song For A Friend. So when they get played about 10 minutes in, segueing into each other, I’ve already had my money’s worth. I get to hear at least small bits of a bunch more of Mr. A-Z, which is thrilling. It’s exactly what I want it to be. Support from Gregory Page, which is good fun, and has Mraz playing bass the whole way through, which is a hell of a power move from Page. (A bonus anecdote: I waited at stage door for 45 minutes to try to get my Mr. A-Z record signed. Despite a gaggle of people waiting by the tour bus, I am the only one at stage door. 20 minutes in, a security guard comes out to supervise load-out, and we get chatting about the worst band to be on duty for [Take That], and how he blagged his way into doing security for the Ozzy Osborne send-off gig. After another 25 mintues, he comes out to tell me, even though he knows I won’t believe him, Mraz has actually left, and slips me a setlist. And then, sotto voce, suggests that he’d recommend the Hatchet Inn, just round the corner, for a post-gig drink. Well now. I make my way down, and lo and behold, the after-party in full swing. Jason Mraz happily signs my album and has a chat, and is generally just lovely. I don’t outstay my welcome, and leave with a wonderful aura. It’s what he would have wanted.)