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| 03-25-2004 | Previous edition: 03-24-2004 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Mayer mellows out
Staff Writer At times during his concert, John Mayer seemed to be having a conversation with his audience. He spoke some of his lyrics, commanding rather than singing, "check eBay tomorrow." Other times he bent over his guitar as though having an intimate dialogue with his instrument. His hands flew over the neck of his guitar, making music that was fast and high-pitched. Mayer may have felt like he was in his own world on the Elliott Hall of Music’s stage Wednesday night. The sold-out crowd of screaming fans, however, kept him from being truly alone. Mayer came onto a dark stage after an intermission following the band Guster’s performance. The flashes of cameras let the audience see him as he picked up his guitar and got ready to sing. Even though Mayer was drowned out at times by the bass and drums behind him, his mellow, high-pitched voice drew cheers from the crowd with the start of every song. The audience jumped to its feet as soon as he came on stage. The cheering grew louder throughout the opening song, "Bigger Than My Body." Both Mayer and Guster expressed surprise at the crowd’s loud cheers and instant support. Guster’s lead singer thanked the crowd for getting to its feet at the beginning of their first song. He even dedicated a song to the section that stood up first. Mayer admitted similar surprise and gratitude. He said performance anxiety usually makes him doubt whether people will enjoy his music. "I’m the kind of guy who, when I make a mix tape for a party, I can’t have fun at the party because I’m too busy worrying that it sucks," said Mayer. The audience sang along with both acts, counting down "4, 3, 2, 1" with one of Guster’s songs. The voices of the audience members could sometimes be heard over Mayer’s. Guster gave a loud, drawn-out final chord to close its part of the show. It summed up the band’s energetic, upbeat sound along with the strobe lights on stage, which often centered on the drummer. Guster’s drummer played bongo and conga drums with his bare hands for most of the songs. This gave the band a rich, complex sound that was sometimes enhanced by a piano. The audience danced in place to many of the pieces. Mayer’s band featured his own guitar playing. He played both acoustic and electric guitar and styles ranging from pop to smooth jazz. He often paused for solo breaks that generated as many cheers as his singing. A trumpet and saxophone played in a few of Mayer’s songs and gave the music a relaxing feel. The audience’s clapping added another layer to his music. While the members of Guster played music from throughout their career, Mayer mostly stuck to songs from his latest album, "Heavier Things." He also played "Hummingbird," a track from a new album due out in early 2005. The audience reacted so enthusiastically to both acts, however, that neither band could probably have done anything that wouldn’t have gotten cheers. Mayer, after admitting that he couldn’t imagine how anyone could like his music, gave the audience a choice as to his next song. When given the choice between "City Love" and "Covered with Rain," the audience screamed equally loudly for both. Though he played "Covered with Rain," he would probably have not gotten any complaints if he had chosen the other song. Printer-friendly version |
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