At 9 p.m. on Oct. 9, the crowd pressed together as the Calvin Theater filled with smoke and lights beamed across the stage. It was time for headliner Jason Mraz to perform. The opening act, Steadman, was over and the crowd called for the man for whom they came. A deafening roar of cheers harkened his appearance. Tall, skinny, with moppy hair covered in a beanie and dressed in an orange tee-shirt and jeans, Jason Mraz's appearance was hardly impressive. He looked like an overgrown child. Yet, Mraz possesses a trance-like quality that captivates an audience. The crowd cheered and snapped photos at his every move, from picking up his guitar to taking sips of Dasani water.

Rising star Mraz, 26, kicked off his concert career with regular Thursday night gigs at Java Joe's, a San Diego coffee house. He currently tours much larger venues around the world, from Sydney to London. A two-time college dropout and pot-smoking, rug-cleaning janitor, Mraz's life changed when he signed with Elektra and released his first album, "Waiting for My Rocket to Come." Best known for the catchy, oft-heard song that made the Billboard Top 25, "The Remedy," his album has sold 258,000 copies since its release in October 2002. Yet, Mraz is hardly basking in the glow of his success. Despite the cocky rooster that adorns his albums, a humorous self-admission to the egotistical focus of his album, Mraz maintains a pragmatic outlook on fame and believes in humility. "You have to," he said. "If not, your work starts to fall apart, your friends start to make fun of you-you need to keep it real."

According to his website, Mraz was born in Mechanicsville, Va., and eventually left home in search of inspiration. He found it in San Diego, and since then has proclaimed San Diego to be his new home. His jazz-influenced, harmonic approach is inspired by God, breakdancing, smoking and, for some inexplicable reason, robots. Much of his music has a therapeutic, sleep-inducing calm that can lull a listener into an otherworldly experience. This is not unintentional-Mraz began work on his record in hopes of making an album of songs that could be listened to while dreaming.

Mraz was propelled into stardom when he played the side stage at one of folksinger Jewel's concerts. During that show, Mraz's fan base moved from nearly zero to over eight hundred. As Mraz joins the mainstream, his fan base continues to grow. Websites like mrazmerized.com are springing up, and a "Which Jason Mraz Song Are You?" quiz has appeared on quizilla.com. Having so many admirers leaves Mraz with less time to be personal with all his fans. Regardless, he tries to remain accessible and friendly.

Mraz lived up to his reputation for being personable with fans as he engaged the crowd of screaming girls, and several guys, at the Calvin. Bolstered by drummer Toca Rivera and his supporting guitarists, it seemed like Mraz did everything just right to keep the crowd pumped. Even when he seemed intensely focused on his music, Mraz still took time to look out to the crowd, smiling and raising his eyebrows mysteriously. Mraz even interrupted his musical set to sing "Happy Birthday" to an audience member who shouted to Mraz that it was her special day.

Despite the fact that Mraz is known to always wear a hat, he complied when a fan screamed a request to take it off. A deafening cheer rewarded him. Throughout his two-hour set, Mraz paused with witty asides, requesting audience participation in some of his songs and telling stories and jokes. One highlight included his personification of his microphone stand. "Sometimes I wish these microphones came in human form … Damn, you're skinny," he said.

While Mraz may be a great performer, he is an equally talented singer. His voice ranged from low to high, mixed with a unique rolling of R's and rapping. Equally engaging was Mraz's relationship with Rivera. With long, braided hair, Rivera was like a bright garden gnome sticking out in the darkness of the stage, possessing enough appeal and generating enough applause from the audience to carry his own show. Rivera and Mraz carried duets on several songs, including a nice cover of Lionel Ritchie's "Stuck on You." They also exchanged playful banter, as Mraz joked about Rivera's singing ability. The two constantly acknowledged each others' presence, with Mraz always turning around to recognize Toca's contributions to various numbers.

And to satisfy the casual fans, Mraz saved his two most widely-played and widely-known songs for last, ending with "The Remedy" and "You and I Both," during which it seemed that all of the audience sang along. Even after his planned set had ended, three minutes of nonstop cheering prompted Mraz to come back out and perform an encore. It seems that people can't get enough of Mraz, and his success is well-deserved.