John Mayer @ BrisbaneEntertainment Centre, 15/04/04

Wed 21st Apr, 2004 in Gig Reviews

Having little experience of John Mayer before tonight, besides playing Room for Squares

from time to time, I was pleasantly surprised at his performance.

I’ve been told that when John was in high school he told his mother that she shouldn’t worry about him sacrificing his studies for guitar playing because one day he’d be a famous guitarist. I’m not sure if he’ll be remembered as the Santana of our generation, but tonight he proved he is a terrifically talented artist.

John’s entire performance was pretty out of the ordinary, he basically did what he felt like! He appeared to have no set play-list, or if he did, he threw that out the window, which I liked. He played specifically for the crowd. Or was it himself? I’m not sure. Either way I found it a refreshing change from the likes of other artists who I have seen twice on the same tour, regurgitating the exact same act again and again. His combination of guitar solos, chicken dancing (as a friend described it), stand-up comedy and just general crazy antics made for a great night.

Catering to the semi-pop, semi-punk audience, John threw in a wide variety of music from his top 20 hits to ad-hoc songs I think he and the band made up on the spot. While the song line-up included hits like Bigger Than My Body and Your Body Is A Wonderland and a few songs off his new album Heavier Things, I found the guitar solos and the ‘custom’ songs he and the band created were terrific. They really displayed his skills as an artist, sure some of the solos were a bit long and drawn out for a Thursday night, but it was all in fun.

I know this has been said before, but from my experience of the concert and watching interviews of John, you can just see this great modesty he exudes. He is one of those few artists that know they are good, but show it only in their music, not in the rest of their life. Overall I thought John was a really interesting artist to watch live, he wasn’t just another CD-player replaying the same music. He was fun, interactive and let the audience get to know him better.  

I’m sorry I missed his last show and recommend you see his future performances!