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Show review: John Mayer at Erwin Center
Deep in the midst of what one journalistic wag has dubbed “The John Mayer Implosion Era,” the heartthrob guitarist and songwriter brought his “Battle Studies” tour to the Erwin Center on Monday. And one may be forgiven for wondering what affect the backlash to the recent way-too-candid interviews in “Rolling Stone” and “Playboy” featuring Mayer’s inflammatory racial and sexual remarks would have on his performance, and his audience.
The answer was “not much.”
“Everybody wants to know about the ‘Playboy’ thing,” was Mayer’s only comment on the uproar, reacting to one sign held up by a fan, and you couldn’t help but hear a trace of resignation in his voice.
But otherwise Mayer played it straight, letting his emotive and fluid guitar work do the talking through the course of a technically flawless 90-minute show.
Still, lyrics like “I wanted water/But I’ll walk through fire” and “What do they want from me/All these vultures/Hiding right outside my door” must be taking on a new poignancy for Mayer these days.
Not that the fans seemed to mind. They accorded Mayer a rapturous reception from the first notes of “Heartbreak Warfare” from the new album, which was followed in short order by a Cream-flavored “Crossroads,” “Vultures” and “Bigger Than My Body.” A segue from Jimi Hendrix’s “Wait Until Tomorrow” into his own “Who Did You Think I Was” closed out the first half of the show.
When all the hype and pop star clutter is cleared away, Mayer emerges as an uncommonly talented blues-flavored guitarist. His command of all the basics — tone, dexterity, harmonics, precision — are impressive, as is his yearning voice which can leap into an appealing falsetto when the mood demands.
Several times Mayer virtually turned his back on the audience to engage in long, string-bending duets with his two guitarists, Ryan Harris and Robbie McIntosh, and he used the tips of his finger and a drumstick to wring dramatic effects from his own instrument during “Assassin.” A languid, piercing solo during Mayer’s cover of the Bill Withers soul classic “Ain’t No Sunshine” was one of the night’s high points.
Before the encore, prefacing “Gravity,” Mayer made a passionate acknowledgment of his renewed appreciation for the bond between audience and performer. Citing the cathartic and healing powers of music, he said, “If we can be that for you…that puts me on a whole new path as a musician.”
Mayer might never completely shed the TMZ-style pretty-boy pop culture caricature with which he contends (and admittedly, sometimes he doesn’t contend very hard). But away from the paparazzi’s flash bulbs and the tabloid’s chatter, he proves himself a pretty fair hand with a guitar and a songwriter’s pen.
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