John Mayer visited the Houston Toyota Center Sept. 8 and performed contemporary rock classics and flooded the audience with nostalgic memories, both old and new.
Since 1998, Mayer has created classic radio rock jams spanning across genres and paved a way for himself with each new record. He remains relevant and explorative with catchy and candid singles like “New Light.”
In 2004, I saw John Mayer at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo with my family. It was an incredibly fun experience and I believe the first concert I ever attended, or at least remember.
Mayer’s seemingly effortless guitar playing and songwriting continue to impress audiences as he explores genres and develops new records on the regular. His seventh album, “The Search for Everything,” was released in 2017. With two new singles since February, the artist is likely to release a new album sometime soon.
The singer-songwriter also tours with an incredibly talented and powerful backing band comprised of percussionists Aaron Sterling and Aaron Draper, pianist Jamie Muhoberac, guitarists David Ryan Harris and Isaiah Sharkey, bassist Pino Palladino, and vocalists Tiffany Palmer and Carlos Ricketts.
Opening the show with songs like “Heartbreak Warfare,” “Vultures” and “Moving On and Getting Over,” Mayer set the pace for a diverse exploration of his wide catalog. Mayer and his band altered each song with new guitar solos, extended verses and rhythmic phrasing which kept audiences on the edge of their seats as expectations were exceeded by captivating changes.
Continuing the show, Mayer and company performed some of my favorite songs including “Who Says,” “Why Georgia” and “Edge of Desire.” After concluding their first set with the latter track, the band took an intermission.
Returning to the stage, Mayer had an acoustic guitar draped over his shoulder. Beginning the second set with a mini-acoustic session was “Daughters,” which swooned the audience into “3×5,” concluding the acoustic session with his famous cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” as the backing band subtly joined back as the song progressed.
Continuing the show with more of my personal favorites, “Belief” brought cleanly shredded guitar solos and “Stop this Train” complimented them wonderfully with its gorgeous acoustic balladry.
One of the most incredible moments of the night included David Ryan Harris singing the introduction for Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones,” transitioning into the crowd-pleasing fan favorite “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.”
After two sets and 22 songs, Mayer and company left the stage for an encore finale. Returning to the stage with another personal favorite, “Gravity,” Mayer struck audiences with an incredible display of his band’s powerful musical capability. Interpolating Otis Redding’s “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” took this song to a higher plane than I previously thought possible.
Overall, the show left a similar impression on me as the one I saw in 2004, albeit more technically bombastic and visually stunning than I could’ve ever remembered from then. It was an incredibly energetic trip through Mayer’s discography, seeing a significant amount of new material mixed between classics pleased fans both old and new.
If you have the chance to catch John Mayer on tour, don’t miss it.
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