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Thursday, September 5, 2013
Music / Live Reviews Live review: John Mayer, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (9/4/2013)
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 1:10 PM
John Mayer
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sept. 4, 2013
Dear John,
It started off so well. Set against the backdrop of a star-filled Montana sky, you opened your Charlotte concert with the acoustic, country-tinged "Queen of California." The music was lush and you appeared to be relaxed as you let the song jam on for a few minutes. Considering what you've been through, your voice sounded strong. I thought to myself, "Maybe things will be different tonight." Oh John, I had so much hope, but it just wasn't meant to be this time around. I wrote a letter to 311 earlier this summer, but I felt a "Dear John" letter was appropriate in this case, too.
Look, things are getting better, but you continue to disappoint me. Last night, you had plenty of chances to shine, but for every stunning solo - moments when you let your Stratocaster do the talking without veering into guitar-sturbation - there again was "Your Body is a Wonderland."
You turned the Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil" into a slow-rolling, country-infused gem of your own, but just had to follow it up with that annoying falsetto-infused "Vultures."
There are people rooting for you, John. People who want you to stop selling out with all the pop-driven, sap-soaked crap tunes and focus on the blues-infused roots-rock that you do so well. Yeah, it doesn't sell, but you know what you can't buy with the money you've earned from those radio hits? Respect. That's right, John, people don't respect you because you've sold out far too many times.
Your new album, Paradise Valley, is a good effort. You've even said in interviews that you're not worried about sales anymore and last night's concert was a great step toward that, but I need to see more, John. You've had far too many chances already, but much like Dante you can't live in Paradise without getting through hell and purgatory first.
Face it, John. No one is going to shed that "Body is a Wonderland" image of you if you don't stop playing it at every. fucking. show. Don't worry, the ladies who sang along last night will get over it. And, in the end, they'll respect you more, too.
Your new album has some of your best songwriting, but you should have left out any attempts at dissing Taylor Swift - "Paper Doll." Stop bringing up the celebrity focus of your past. Keep it simple, stupid. For all of your "racist dick" comments and celebrity paparazzi-swarming dates, you do have talent but it's hard to see beyond all of the bullshit if you keep bringing it up. It's time to let it go, John.
Last night, you had true moments of glory. There were times when you let your Strat soar - you closed your eyes and got lost in the moment. You let yourself sink deep into the pocket and travel wherever the song took you. Holy shit, John, it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Then you played the mellow cheese of "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" and I forgot all about those earlier shining strums. You baffled me with your bullshit.
You have a great chance to rebuild your image if you work hard at it. You can become the guitar player and musician so many people have hoped for, but it's going to take a big effort on your part to get people to forget about all the junk you've thrown into the musical atmosphere or the times you've just been an asshole. There are too many people who won't even set foot at one of your concerts because of the low-level expectations. They don't know anything about the shining moments because they can't see beyond the cloud of crap you've put in front of them for so long.
Look, even Clapton has some regrettable tunes. We know that. But there's far too many of your songs that belong in the adult contemporary category sitting alongside Michael Bolton and Kenny G. No one wants to hear that shit. It's better for everyone if you leave that stuff in the past and move on entirely.
Plenty of the tunes on your new album could win over a broader audience. It's fine if you're "waiting on the world to change," but there are people who know your full potential who are still waiting for you to change. When you let yourself go and sink in with abandon, you earn so much more respect and show the kind of artist you could have always been.
You have the talent to make people forget about just how cheesy you have been, but you have to take the first step and abandon the crap, John. From now on, no more "Body is a Wonderland." None. Just let it go, John. Let it go.
Thanks -
P.S. If you see Philip Phillips, tell him it's enough already with the Dave Matthews impersonation.
Setlist
Queen of California
Wildfire
Paper Doll
Something Like Olivia
Waiting on the Day
Who Says
Friend of the Devil
Vultures
Back to You (acoustic)
Victoria (acoustic)
My Stupid Mouth (acoustic)
Your Body is a Wonderland (acoustic)
On the Way Home
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Half of My Heart
I Don't Trust Myself
If I Ever Get Around to Living
Age of Worry
Waiting on the World to Change
Lost at Sea
Gravity
Speaking of...
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
I just want to know whether his dick is still a racist, or if it's since undergone therapy.
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John is an imaginative lyricist, and a far better writer than you are. And Vultures, Gravity and Burning Room are all three songs that display his brilliance as a guitarist. I'm guessing by all of the lame attempts at humorous advice you include in your review that your favorite sing along song of his is 'Daughters'. Ew.
This hands down the worst review of a concert I have ever read. His last two albums are the opposite of "selling out" speaking of what are in 7th grade? Who still uses the term selling out? You want to knock the guy for playing tunes that made him who he is today? Then go see another show dude... Have you listened to Paradise Valley? It's defiantly not Room for Squares as you are implying. So next time you review an artist try being original and not writing cheap shots at wildly successful pop tunes like the rest of Americas "journalists".
-Amateur Hour
Why can't John Mayer embrace and be proud of ALL the music he's created? Why should he hide or be ashamed of music he made at another place and time in his life? Music that expressed something for him then AND gave a whole lot of pleasure to a whole lot of people....and still does? Why is there not room for the many sides and facets of a true artist in his lifetime? I'm sorry, this reviewer comes across as a snob...affected and narrow-minded.
Amy, if he had played "Daughters," I would have written an even more scathing review... Luckily the audience was spared that one.
I do respect his talent, but he doesn't show it often enough. The guy has admitted to writing crappy pop songs because they sell. That is selling out - plain and simple. No other way to put it. If you read the review again, you can see that I pay as many compliments as I do call him out for the crap... and there's a lot of crap.
My audio recording for anyone interested - http://archive.org/details/JM2013-09-04
Personally, if I never heard Your Body is a Wonderland again, I'd be fine with it. But I do respect John's decision to play it because so many people plunked their hard-won dollars to hear him play it. I'm continually amazed by how many people say they love John Mayer but... And the 'but's are usually diametrically opposed to each other - more/less blues, more/less pop, more/less solos, more/less rootsy music. And so it goes. Strong opinions (and they are such) flower profusely when it comes to John Mayer.
The solution - as John so eloquently put it - is simple. If you don't want to hear a couple of songs during a concert, take a pee break.
Jeff, I'm with you. I'm totally disgusted with Mayer's bullshit song writing... I won't even buy his music, let alone go to his shows. I'm like, 'what's this ish?!?!' He TOTALLY sold out with dating a snowflake like Katy. Here he is with this once respected rep that he almost recovered with Born & Raised, and he returns with blowing smoke up our asses. He can't even see that he was getting back to becoming a legendary guitar player and what's the icing on his doucehy cake? SPRINKLING Katy's gummy, confused, 3 hour makeup process per photo, color crusted, poppy bubble gum, un talented and uneducated, voice-over, auto-tuned, dubbed, studio engineered track of a no singing joke! I'm also wondering if his di-k is still afraid to go near mixed women or women of color? He bent over to pick katy up. She dirties his image if trying to be a skilled musician and man who is not in the game for publicity, money and sales. AMY, stop stalking and go teach.
Your fucked bro. Vultures and Slow Dancing are two of his best tunes. He doesnt come up with the set list to please you. Thank god
I am a blues fan. I play guitar. I majored in jazz guitar. I think Daughters and your body.. are better songs than Wildfire and a number of his other boring tunes on Paradise Valley and Born and Raised. He is trying a bit hard to be avg if you ask me. Why would anybody wanna sound like Bob Dylan? shit voice and avg playing.
But I respect his choice to do what makes him happy.
If it was up to me he would put out more albums like continuum, try, and battle studies.
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