Popcorn and Pen

The novelty of a John Mayer concert is fading if you’re a mainstream fan of his music.

Nowadays a Mayer concert ticket should come with a warning: Expect the unexpected and assume nothing, especially if there is a song you want to hear.

Mayer is nothing short of a talented musician and a fine technician of the guitar. His voice is smoky smooth and his ability as a songwriter is shown by his strong, simple melodies and mass crowd sing-alongs.

But his past two concerts at Verizon Wireless Music Center – including Saturday night’s stop – have shown Mayer’s live performance as an immensely talented snooze-fest.
 
With 2006’s release of Continuum, Mayer traded in his pop persona for a more mature, blues/jazz feel. While his studio albums are polished from beginning to end, it leaves much to be desired live – do teenagers and 20-somethings that comprise Mayer’s concerts know who Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King are, and more importantly, when they purchase a ticket do they want to hear Mayer’s take on their musical style for the entire show?

In his opening number, “Good Love is on the Way” from the John Mayer Trio live album, Mayer came out of the box with guns and guitars blaring. He continued the good vibe by turning “Vultures” into a more up-tempo song.

At this point, the rollercoaster of tempo started its downward descent. “I Don’t Trust Myself (with Loving You)” was followed by an acoustic cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” and then “Stop This Train,” also performed acoustically.

As soon as the first chord of 2003’s “Bigger Than My Body” was struck, the audience awoke from its temporary coma and erupted into applause. Mayer turned over the chorus to the crowd who was eager to fill in.

The new arrangement of meshing “No Such Thing” and “Why Georgia” proved irresistible and was the highlight of the show.

“This is a song that changed my life. I’m not sure how, but it did,” Mayer said of “Gravity.”

In total, Mayer sang four covers – “Free Falling,” Alicia Keys’ “No One,” Duffy’s “Mercy” and “Stitched Up,” which Mayer collaborated on with Herbie Hancock. With three studio albums and two, two-disc live albums under his belt, Mayer’s song choice was more like an amateur at the jazz pit’s open mic night than an established Grammy winning musician.

Mayer’s road crew was also a bit off Saturday night. With wammy bar distortion and his amp cranked up twice as loud as it should have been, Mayer’s extensive guitar part on “Mercy” was as hard on the ears as it was complex. As beautiful as it could have been, many in the audience were muzzling the volume by clasping their ears.

Extended guitar solos and intros filled time Mayer could have used to perform a handful of more songs. In his nearly two hour concert, Mayer performed just 15 songs.

He also dismissed playing radio hits like “Daughters,” “Your Body is a Wonderland,” “Clarity” or “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” and left out crowd favorites like “My Stupid Mouth,” “83,” “I’m Gonna Find Another You,” “Only Heart,” “3×5” and “Neon.”

While Mayer never explained his song selection, he did show his appreciation to the nearly sold-out venue crowd.

“I appreciate how good you’ve always been to us,” he said. “… Thank you, thank you, thank you for making me feel like this is my city.”

Supporting Mayer were Colbie Caillat and Brett Dennen.

With a strong, sweet sounding voice, Caillat performed eight songs off her debut album Coco. The most recognizable were her two singles “Realize” and “Bubbly,” which showcase her voice with a slow, low-key melody. But the up-and-coming artist has much to learn about her onstage presence which consisted primarily of moving from side to side on the stage or standing still while her band performed.

Caillat is a charming, young singer who has a knack for quiet ballads, but adding a more upbeat tempo would go a long way in winning the audience over. Her cover of “Beast of Burden” was even slower than the original.