Buying it months in advance, I almost forgot that I have tickets to the John Mayer Summer Tour last July 27. I bought "Room for Squares" when it came out in 2002 and intermittently followed his career over the years, particularly his guitar-playing.
Though I am far from being a groupie, there are a few things I have expected from the Concert which, shall we say, were delivered over and above the call of duty.
Being a frustrated guitar-player, I have come to watch John Mayer to
play the guitar. I know that he has won Best Male Vocals here and there, but I think his singing prowess is only second to his skill in playing that guitar.
I counted at least 6 guitars used during the concert. And he played it like a piano, like a violin, like a harmonica. He played it with grace, with power, without his shirt, and even on his back. What really impressed me is that he played lead guitar with no breaks for nearly two hours straight. (I guess that's the advantage of being a young rock star.)
Having said all that, his singing is worth noting. Each time I attend a concert like this, I always make note if the artist sounds as well or as close as his CDs. (I am kinda over-suspicious of digital editing and special effects that "enhances" the musical experience.) In this regard, John Mayer scores high points for singing as well, if not better, than his albums. The surprise, maybe, is the way his face contorts as he hit those notes.
Of course, I expected him to sing "No Such Thing" or "Why Georgia," which he did on a slightly updated arrangement in acoustic guitar. He sang a new song which, by any estimation, will guarantee him a hit.
What I did not expect from this deal (apart from him shaving off his head) is how many women are in the crowd. Being one of them, I guess I am not one to talk. I know he has a Ladies' Man reputation (whatever that means) but this did not prepare me for the estrogen overload in the venue that night.
It was a lovely park-like outdoor ampi-theatre on a hill set up like a summer fair. (Not so good for those wearing stilettos.) For that night, this part of Irvine, California was littered with teenage girls driven to the venue by their parents who proceeded to have a picnic in the parking lot. There were college kids singing "Waiting on the World to Change" in heartfelt chorus. Ehem, there are 30-something women dressed up like Jennifer Aniston, and yes, they were the ones in stilettos.
What I wonder as I sit there listening to John Mayer sing is how much of this crowd
listens to what he is saying. This man who seems to be on top of the world sings with more than a pinch of cynicism and profound loneliness. At 30.
Perhaps, that is what one should expect from a rock star. John Mayer displays overwhelming confidence of youth. When you know you are so ahead of the pack as you are doing what you have always wanted to do in life, and your peers are still "trying to figure" it out. He performs with enormous energy in front of adulating thousands like he has just broke into stardom.
And yet, if you really listen to John Mayer, you will know the man who "just found out that there is no such thing as a real world, just a lie to rise above." He has his "quarter-life crisis" marked by Grammy trophies asking the world, "Am I living it right?" He speaks of gravity bringing him down, of dreaming with a broken heart and of "knowing that I would always be lonely".
It was a great concert, I was at awe, I was entertained, I listened and I heard. Okay, it was a concert that started at 7pm with the first front act. Another at 8pm (Colbie Colliat) and then John Mayer appeared at 9pm for a gig that lasted till 11pm. Way past this groupie's bedtime, therefore, I was over-intellectualizing. Till the next.
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