Magician Justin Kredible has always aspired for that rock star vibe during his performances.

Now he gets it as the host and opening act for Jason Mraz on his “Music, Magic and Make Peace” tour.

Kredible said as a magician he has always dreamed of being a rock star and now he is as close to being one as he’ll ever be.

“It’s really cool to live out my dream,” he said.

Kredible, along with musical acts Bushwalla and the Makepeace Brothers, complete the opening acts for Mraz’s tour.

They perform at 8 tonight in Lantz Arena as University Board’s spring concert.

Mraz is best known for his song “The Remedy (I Won’t Worry),” but his other singles “I’m Yours” and “You and I Both” have both been chart-toppers.

His sophomore album, “Mr. A-Z” debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Mraz’s first release of new material in three years, “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.” arrives in stores May 20. But the “Music, Magic, and Make Peace” tour will not be an ordinary concert-going experience.

Kredible will serve as the host in what he calls a “modern-day vaudeville show,” and said there will be surprises right and left.

First off, the Makepeace Brothers will be performing for the line of concert-goers. Meanwhile, Kredible said he, Mraz and the members of Bushwalla would take turns popping out to do tricks or entertain those waiting.

“The show starts from the moment people arrive,” Kredible said.

And once the show starts, it never stops.

Everything overlaps and everything flows, he said.

While hosting, Kredible will perform three 10-minute sets and will collaborate with Bushwalla.

Ben Murphy, a senior communication studies major and UB concert chair, said the show is going to be a little different.

“It’s going to be like a concert but with a little twist,” he said.

But Murphy said to expect when Mraz performs for the concert to be like a concert.

Where the idea came from

The idea for the unique show came about when Kredible, Bushwalla and the Makepeace brothers were together.

Kredible said for the past year-and-a-half he and the bands perform whenever they’re all in town together.

“We feel this amazing vibe like no other,” Kredible said.

Since they all are friends of Mraz, they sold him on their idea for a tour that would be more like a non-stop circus-like event.

Thus the “Music, Magic, and Make Peace” tour was born.

Kredible said people are used to going to an event and knowing what to expect.

If people are going to see a magician, they expect to see magic.If they are going to a concert, they expect music and if people are going to see a comedian then they expect comedy, Kredible said.

The “Music, Magic, and Make Peace” tour crosses all these.

Kredible said the show is a revolutionary concept.

He said people should be expecting a show they’ve never seen before and something they will walk out and tell all their friends about and then be sad they missed out. Kredible is used to touring as a one-man show.

He said with this tour, there are two buses with 11 people in each.

He said a cross-country tour with his best friends has been like a dream come true.

A different kind of magician

Kredible’s performance style is just like his tagline says, “Like a magician but cooler,” he said.

Unlike Criss Angel, Kredible is a comedian who happens to do magic, then the stereotypical magician who creeps people out, he said.

“I’m a normal, ordinary guy,” Kredible said.

A normal ordinary guy who is nationally known from the 120 shows he performs a year around colleges and was named Campus Entertainer of the Year for 2008 by Campus Activities Magazine.

When he was 12, he was riding a bike with roller blades on when he fell and broke both arms.

Stuck in a hospital with nothing to do, Kredible was fascinated by the magician that would visit patients. He was blown away and decided that was what he wanted to do.

He practiced his butt off, he said, and started touring and doing events while at Emerson College in Boston. After college, Kredible moved to Los Angeles, and now he is a correspondent for the Rachael Ray show, and has appeared on late night talk shows.

Getting more for your money

Ceci Brinker, director of student life, said the show should be good, especially for the price.

“I think our show is by far the cheapest on this tour,” she said.

The show at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Ga. on Wednesday, cost $30.

Students are getting more for their buck, Brinker said.

Sheila Hurley, freshman pre-nursing major and UB concert elect, said the show is long for the amount of money it costs to attend.

Murphy, said the concert is one of the longer shows that Eastern has had.

Brinker said she has been hearing a lot of buzz about the show, especially from out of state.

“People are calling from out of state thinking that he’s sold out here so we would hope that are students would try and take advantage of this,” Brinker said.

Murphy said people from several states have heard about the concert and want to make sure the ticket prices were right.

“This is the first concert that I’ve done where we’ve heard from so many people out-of-state that have been so excited that he’s here about the cheap ticket prices,” he said.

Coming from far away

One of those excited out-of-towners would include Abbey Moffitt, a 17-year-old senior at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Moffitt and her boyfriend will be driving six-and-a-half hours to come see Mraz in concert today.

Moffitt had been looking at Mraz’s Web site for a concert this summer.

Four years ago, Mraz had been scheduled to come to Des Moines but canceled last minute after he got sick.

Moffitt was heartbroken and has been trying to get tickets for his shows ever since.

Today’s show in Lantz is the closest concert she has heard about.

Moffitt has been a fan since “Waiting For My Rocket To Come” came out and soon fell in love with Mraz’s music.

She said his voice is “unique and pure,” but she mostly loves him for his lyrics.

“They are out there at times and appear to make no sense but they are really beautiful,” Moffitt said.

She said Mraz helped her see life in a different way.

“In junior high and the beginning years of high school it’s very hard to determine who you are, and often times the people you hang out with and the music you listen to come to define you,” Moffitt said.

She said listening to Mraz has made her a more positive person.

“He has taught me to let things go, to enjoy the present and rock out and have fun,” Moffitt said. “I know that it is not really possible to stay positive all the time, but in his lyrics, he always sees the bright side of things, whether it is there or not.”

High gas prices are not going to stop Moffitt and her boyfriend from coming.

Instead, they are researching where is cheapest to stop and have been saving up for the last couple months.

“Every so often there is an artist that makes you think about life differently, no matter if they were trying to or not, and you owe it to them to try to thank them,” Moffitt said. “If I can somehow indiscreetly thank him by driving 830 miles, then that is fine by me.”