John Mayer freezes time; connects with audience

Posted on 14 September 2013 by LeslieM

John Mayer In Concert - Chicago, ILBy Joe Malmuth

Photo Credit: Daniel Boczarski, Getty Images

What makes a good outdoor concert? Plenty of sunshine and cool breezy weather, lots of good food and drink, positive vibes from your fellow concert goers, and of course, good LIVE music. What happens if it’s rainy, hot, humid, and stagnant? What if your friends had to cancel last minute? What if you drop your first drink of the night all over yourself?

You experience one of the best concerts of your life!

I have always known that John Mayer is a great musician, songwriter and performer, but I was blown away at his ability to connect with his audience of roughly 14,000.

Mayer, traditionally pegged as a blues guitarist, has this uncanny ability to morph into this soulful, free spirited, leader of the new jam band culture that sprang up out of the wet, muddy lawn at Cruzan Amphitheater that sultry Sunday night [Sept. 8].

With his stage backdrop a scene from a starry night over a red-rock canyon, he made statements through his guitar that tugged everyone a little bit closer to the stage. Once you were hooked, he commented on how the air, thick with South Florida humidity, made him feel like we were all sharing the same substance of being, the same sub-atomic particles, the same existence.

Between his unifying, existential sermons, his music rose above the steamy night and helped everyone forget the miserable weather and lose themselves in that starry backdrop on the stage.

He and his band were perfect in every note. He continued to play this coy, cat-and-mouse game with the audience, pulling them in further and further, leaving them hoping to hear their favorite tune along with the fresh cuts from his newest record, Paradise Valley.

Every track blended seamlessly into the next, creating a symphony of good vibes for both beatnik and straight-laced concert-goers whom Mayer seems to cherish in an honest and open way.

Musicians in the crowd couldn’t help but feel like they had just wrapped up an intimate, open jam with an old friend as the evening drew to a close.

A satisfying quiet seemed to permeate the droves returning to their cars to leave; everyone sharing in the same understanding that for a few brief hours, we were all connected and it was a good thing.

Thanks for freezing time for a while, John!

 

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