Jason Mraz, Ben Folds Play GW's Smith Center

Two talented singer-songwriters played full sets on a co-bill at the George Washington University on Friday night. Ben Folds and Jason Mraz rocked the small arena, both focusing on newer material.

Unfortunate for Ben Folds, the crowd was chatty and quite impatient as he rolled through much of his newest material, and he admitted late in the set he realized many folks there probably never heard of him before.

But two new songs fully captured the crowd’s attention: one was a fictitious rollicking song about a Republican lawyer whose liberal date got coked up at a Christmas party and ruined his chance of making partner, called “Bitch Went Nuts." The other song, which can also be found on his 2008 album, and third solo effort, Way to Normal, was “Free Coffee,” in which Folds places two Altoids cans inside the piano, on the strings, and uses a distortion pedal to create a synthesizer-harpsichord sound. About midway through the set, the crowd was rapt and gave him the respect he deserves.

Whatever Folds performs, he does it with such gusto, singing his sardonic lyrics and unleashing his anguish on the piano. Still, longtime fans want to hear the old stuff, including songs from his former trio known as Ben Folds Five. Surprisingly, he didn’t play anything from his debut Five album. No “Underground.” No “Philosophy.” But he gave fans a few familiar tunes, including “Landed,” and “Rockin’ The Suburbs” as well as a couple from “the Five,” notably “Army” and perhaps his best-known ballad, the heart-wrenching “Brick.”

Next up, Jason Mraz and his band emerged to thunderous applause and screams. The crowd was continually energized by Mraz repeatedly referencing and thanking GW for hosting him, though much less enthused whenever he brought up it being the eve of Valentine’s Day. He told the guys who groaned not to worry about buying anything, that the girl is just happy if you show up.

Backed by a tight band that includes the dynamic percussionist Toca and ahorn section that did choreographed sways and individually showed their chops during a couple of solos, Mraz puts on an engaging show. Blending rock, reggae, funk, and jazz, this fusion is complemented by his sweet vocals that at times soar beautifully into the uppermost range.

Mraz wasted no time launching into his debut album hit “Remedy,” the second song of his set, and the crowd was up and hopping. During the final chorus, he had the ladies singing the chorus, “I won’t worry my life away, ay ay…” and had the guys simultaneously singing the chorus to Oasis “Wonderwall.” It worked well.

Mraz’s biggest ovation came during his latest hit, “I’m Yours” from his latest album, We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. When he emerged for the encore, Mraz cleverly said, “Today is Friday the 13^th, and Jason is back.”