More on the John Mayer show
For me, John Mayer's show was worth the long, wet slog from the parking lot to the will call line and (finally) into the pavilion.
For the kids on the lawn, I'm not so sure. It was raining something fierce for quite some time. But if you were under the canopy, you were golden.
Mayer tore through an hour and 15 minute set of his own hits and all kinds of covers like "Panama" by Van Halen and "Free Falling" by Tom Petty.
Mayer's a really accomplished blues guitarist for his age. Last night, he turned loose some fiery solos on songs like "Gravity." Here's my official review.
But Mayer's got a pretty twisted sense of humor, too ...
At one point, he saw a girl with a sign that read "I'll be legal in two years" and read it to the crowd. Then he said, "Well, I'm a pervert now!"
I'm cringing just typing that one out. Hee hee. I wonder if he's ever told Jennifer Aniston his horrible Angelina Jolie joke (careful, it's PG-13).
"This is how I bring you back from that disgusting joke -- with this piece of stagecraft," he said, and started playing "No Such Thing." It was like you'd flipped a switch, and all the tweens and parents went from horrified to infatuated. Bam!
Mayer was wearing this white sleeveless T-shirt, so you could see his many tattoos and handsomely toned biceps. Then, during the encore, he ripped the shirt off and launched into "Panama."
I don't think all the kids there recognized the song, but as soon as they saw the shirtless Mayer, they shrieked like only kids can. My eardrums almost bled.
Good show, all in all. Wait, scratch that. Great show. Mayer really did put on a great show.
(AP file photo)
Erik Maza is a features reporter at the Baltimore Sun. He writes for several sections of the Sun paper and contributes weekly columns on music and nightlife. He also writes and edits the Midnight Sun blog. He often covers entertainment, business, and the business of entertainment. Occasionally, he writes about Four Loko, The Block, the liquor board, and those who practice "
Comments
Everybody keeps saying how bad they felt for people on the lawn. You haven't been to a concert an appreciated the atmosphere until you have been stuck in the rain in order to enjoy music for a few hours.
Posted by: Josh | July 14, 2008 2:39 PM
Your description of the concert sounded like the worst experience I could ever imagine. Sitting in the rain with a bunch of screaming tweens listening to pop-jazz and attempting Van Halen songs. And he only played for 1hr 15min? Even low budget crappy movies at least last 1hr 30 min. Seems like a waste of money to me.
Posted by: Rick | July 14, 2008 3:47 PM
i'm not familiar with anything he sings besides the wonderland song that came out a few years ago, but he seems like the kind of guy you could drink a beer with at ledbetters.
Posted by: Allan | July 14, 2008 4:04 PM
i would drink a beer and smoke a [censored] talkin with this guy for hours...BUT WHEN THE FUDGE ARE YOU GOING TO PLAY NEW ORLEANS ?!?!?!? WE ARE ALIVE DOWN HERE BUDDY...RAGE CAN PLAY...RUSH CAN PLAY...THE SAINTS AND HORNETS CAN PLAY...FREAKIN CELINE DION, BEYONCE, JAY-Z, KANYE.....WHY NOT JM???????? GIVE US A SHOW [dar]NIT!
Posted by: paul | July 17, 2008 2:00 PM