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Concert Review: Both John Mayers put on a show at P-G Pavilion
Thursday, August 21, 2008
By Kate McCaffrey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For all of you who still think John Mayer's music is just for screaming teeny-boppers, it's time to re-evaluate your thinking and update your playlist.

John Mayer is a musical schizo. Half of him is sunshine and cupcakes Top 10 Billboard pop. The other half is crazy soaring guitar solos and nitty-sorta-gritty blues.

He performed both halves last night during his summer 2008 tour stop at the Post-Gazette Pavilion.

In diva style, Mayer didn't stroll onstage until nearly 9 p.m. He and his band opened with "Vultures" from his 2006 album "Continuum."

Despite the mellow tone, an eager crowd filled in the refrain on cue and Mayer tried his hand at scat, singing along with his guitar solo. While bold and unexpected, the scat singing was little more than that.

"No Such Thing" had the last of the crowd onto its feet and singing about how there's no such thing as the real world.

It wasn't until the third tune that Mayer introduced the crowd to his love of blues. Playing Eric Clapton's "Crossroads," Mayer gave a peek of what he really loves. His voice changed and became a bit more gravelly. He launched into a soaring guitar solo. But the crowd didn't seem to react much. Sure they cheered because, hey, it's John Mayer. But they didn't seem convinced.

This is where Mayer's two musical halves get him into trouble. Now he has two sets of fans.

There are the fans that spend the night with their jaw agape in awe, transfixed by Mayer's guitar prowess. Because there's no arguing -- that skinny kid is good.

Then there are those who listened to "Your Body Is A Wonderland," "Waitin' On The World To Change," or some similar pop-happy tune about a dozen times on the way to the concert and spent the night wondering when he'd play "Daughters."

"I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)" set the standard for the night: a slow, mellow song, plus guitar solo. This even applied for a Tom Petty cover of "Free Falling." Mayer's relaxed version couldn't rev up the emotional drive of Petty's classic. That didn't keep a couple fans from busting out lighters and swaying.

Mellow songs are all well and good, but Mayer was bordering on easy listening status at times. What saved him were a few amazing solos and songs like "Stitched Up."

The tenth song was fun, lively and full of unexpected surprises. Mayer introduced it in a hybrid English-Australian accent. Bob Reynolds performed a kickin' solo on soprano sax, keeping the song's energy and tension up before handing the solo over for Mayer to take on.

After "Heart of Life," the sort of sweet pop song that got Mayer on the charts to begin with, he turned 180 degrees and went straight back into the blues.

"I Don't Need No Doctor" was the climax of the concert as Mayer broke out of any pop pretense. His solo, lasting several minutes, was the longest one he played last night and was nothing short of utterly amazing.

There's a reason Rolling Stone put Mayer on the cover of its February 2007 edition "New Guitar Gods."

"Say What You Need to Say" ended the 13-song set. After signing a notebook for a fan in the crowd, Mayer and his band left the stage. It took a surprising amount of cheering and seat pounding for them to return for an encore, which included "Waiting for the World to Change."

We'll just have to wait to see when Mayer changes his musical repertoire for good.


found here: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08234/905983-42.stm
good to know the reporter knows the names of his songs... where's my eye rolling icon?

DavetheDebater wrote:

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In diva style, Mayer didn't stroll onstage until nearly 9 p.m.

...or, you know... like every other headlining band... in the world... since forever.

yup! i wonder if that writer did any kind of research at all...i'm still sticking by my 'journalism isn't what it used to be' opinion...somebody prove me wrong!!!