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I always find myself recalling the Milwaukee JM3 show as my signature Mayer experience. The gig was at a *huge* ballroom, and the "security" arrangements--not to mention the way they made everyone stand in a line in a dark bar for 3 hours before we were let into the venue...I can't even *describe* what a mess that was. The crowd was restive, let's just say, by the time we all thronged that ballroom (getting there was like the running of the bulls, honest). Many, many people were blitzed, given that we'd all been trapped in a barroom since midday. So there was this fantastically unsettled atmosphere, amplified by the fact that a lot of the audience members were probably expecting "the hits" and were unfamiiiar with the Trio. I ended up crammed against stage left, standing on an uneven, fat cable. And the show started late, with sound problems that Mayer cursed over more than once.

AND YET, and yet, that show was sharp, electrifying, and assertive. The band sucked in the ambient energy, that Midwestern Saturday night wildness, and they flung an astounding show back at us. I still get goosebumps listening to that live recording, from the songs themselves as well as from the rippling roars and cheers from the massive crowd. "Chicken Grease/Cissy Strut," always my favorite Trio song, was a funknasty delight. Mayer tossed in "Neon" as a bon-bon to apologize, probably, for the late start and technical difficulties...as far as I could tell, Steve and Pino learned as they went on that one. By the time they unpacked "Try!," they had the crowd firmly in their pockets.

[I know, that's a long intro...] So here's my signature moment: as they play out the false endings of "Try!", building and rebuilding that groove, Mayer suddenly hoists his guitar and plays it behind his head. The place goes insane as Mayer yanks out yet another round of ringing riffs. I'm staring at him from about 10 feet away, amazed that I've traveled from Maine and through the Midwest to have gotten to this moment, and it was worth every minute and every dime.

And I never noticed the cable under my feet, once the band started playing. Such is the power of John Mayer.

--Nessa