Concert review: Bluesy John Mayer rocks Idaho Center By Michael Deeds - Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 06/04/07

Concert review

John Mayer, June 3, Idaho Center

If you think John Mayer is a bore, you haven’t seen him in concert.

In fact, the more you're convinced you hate Mayer’s music, the more your world would have been turned upside down Sunday.

Jaw-dropping fact No. 1: Mayer did not perform Grammy-winning hits “Your Body is a Wonderland” or “Daughters,” which are probably the reason he makes you cringe, anyway.

Mind-blowing fact No. 2: Mayer is a raging inferno on guitar. His searing solos could have gone toe-to-toe with Slowhand.

Universe-shattering fact No. 3: Mayer’s show at the Idaho Center, it … it rocked.

There it is in black and white: John Mayer rocks.

None of the 5,207 fans appeared surprised by these reality checks. (OK, some had to be puzzled by the pair of glaring song omissions.) But to anyone who hasn’t paid attention since Mayer stormed radio with a double helping of sensitive-guy sap a few years ago, the 29-year-old was a revelation.

What? You hadn’t heard? Mayer has been remaking his image since 2005. He’s adopted a blues-rock guitarist persona – or, more accurately, revealed it and reveled in it. He’s traded licks on stage with Eric Clapton and B.B. King. He was the focal point of a recent Rolling Stone magazine cover titled “The New Guitar Gods.”

Mayer also has dated Jessica Simpson. What sort of sensitive acoustic singer-songwriter would date Miss Chicken of the Sea?

He wouldn’t. But a rock star would. That’s the new Mayer. Thin and dressed casually in a dark T-shirt and sneakers, he visited Nampa to remind everyone of the power of the amplified guitar. Counting himself, there were three guitarists — electric or acoustic — wailing at any given time.

What was this, a Skynyrd show?

Not quite. But captured on three modest, vertical video screens, Mayer and a small army of backing musicians performed 85 minutes of smooth, energetic groove-rock. Mayer’s recent hit “Gravity” seemed to defy it, evolving from a traditional, clean blues vibe to a dirty-good fretboard climax. During “Vultures,” Mayer thrived on a hot funk strut, tapping his foot and bobbing his head. Many fans probably had never heard Ray Charles' "I Don't Need No Doctor," but they all clapped joyfully to the beat as Mayer uncorked smoldering riff after riff.

Pretty young women shrieked “I love you, John!” Husbands and wives danced. Most of the floor audience stood for the entire show, which often felt like one long, blistering guitar jam. Even ballads such as "Dreaming with a Broken Heart" got supercharged by Mayer's saucy picking.

Mayer kept his fluid soloing from becoming overkill by singing beautifully on tunes such as “Good Love is On the Way” and “I Don’t Trust Myself.” His comforting, all-knowing vocals glided effortlessly skyward to a soulful falsetto. Simply put, Mayer brought the full package.

The encore came too soon. Sitting on a stool, Mayer performed two acoustic numbers, including an intimate solo rendition of “Tracing.”

He closed the night by asking the crowd, “Ready to sing along?” Sure, but probably not to “Waiting On the World to Change," one of Mayer's least original songwriting efforts. At this point, "Wonderland" or "Daughters" would have been perfect. Fans of the radio hits would have been ecstatic. Everyone else could have gotten a jump on traffic.

Earlier, Mayer had described opening act Ben Folds as “incomparable.” Not true. Folds is like an indie-rock Elton John. A consummate musician, Folds delivered 40 minutes of fantastic piano playing and singing. His hilarious, ironic cover of Dr. Dre’s “Bitches Ain’t S---” illuminated the insipid nature of gangsta-rap lyrics. But it wasn’t the set’s high point. That came when Folds jumped on top of his piano, barefoot, and convinced the audience to sing three-part harmonies. He conducted. The crowd harmonized. Like everything on this night, it sounded pretty dang good.

Originally found here.