Live Review: John Mayer

John Mayer is quite the polarising artist for some, but you can’t deny his skills as a live performer. Having sorely missed Australian shores on his last world tour, with no support act and multiple sets on the cards, tonight is a Mayer love-in like no other.

Delivering two lengthy sets, starting with his full band in tow and the smooth guitar picks of Belief, Mayer is already shredding up a storm. A backdrop of acid wash and simple lighting makes sure our eyes have nowhere to look but Mayer. Four songs later, he finally takes a break to let us know he is “having too much fun up here”. Every moment of silence is immediately matched by a sea of screams and proclamations of love. The full band set that kicks off the night climaxes as Vultures turns into less of a track and more of a guitar gym, featuring the three guitarists in Mayer’s band. 

After a short half-hour intermission and as the lights are dimming down, a sea of Day On The Green mums sprint down the stairs to get prime Mayer real estate. With only Mayer and his acoustic guitar on stage, he regales us with a story of writing a cheesy song at 21. The roars reach a new height when the song turns out to be Your Body Is A Wonderland. Mayer brings the laughs too, spending the last minute of the tune locking eyes with “a man in the crowd who obviously isn’t here for [his] cheesy songs”; he's the full package. Continuing the solo acoustic intimacy, Go Easy On Me provides the perfect segue to the most insane acoustic shred we’ve ever seen as Mayer sets the guitar neck on fire with Neon. As the incredible backing guitarists take the stage for Free Fallin’, the show transitions back to the full band rock powerhouse we began at. 

The crowd’s dance moves have failed to present themselves for the most part tonight, but when the undeniably wholesome Waiting On The World To Change rings out, feet start tapping and beers start spilling as the groove takes hold. Before long, the spotlight shifts to one of the guitarists for the introduction of Dreaming With A Broken Heart, before the classic phone light sway sweeps the audience for a cover of Knockin’ On Heaven's Door. Closing on sombre cut Dear Marie, it’s obvious Mayer is going to come back for an encore and what an encore it is as the night ends on the mega-smooth hit New Light. The song commands us to dance like no one is watching as couples begin tangoing and wine stains become a real threat.

Mayer didn’t have to prove anything to the crowd tonight, but instead went above and beyond to deliver a memorable show that stands tall. And for that, we have a lot of respect for John Mayer.