| |
Taken from The Edmonton Journal (April 6, 2010)
Mayer in guitar wonderland
Singer's shiny, uptempo pop-soul merges with the intensity of the
blues
by Tom Murray, Freelance
CONCERT REVIEW
JOHN MAYER
With: Michael Franti and Spearhead
Where: Rexall Place
When: Sunday night
The blues is where you find them.
John Mayer at Rexall Place: attempting the sort of
mid-career shift that gives managers ulcers
Photograph by: Shaughn Butts, The Journal, Freelance |
For John Mayer, the man who made "your body is a wonderland" a catchphrase for giggling couples everywhere, it's a groovy kind of thing, a way to expand beyond his sensitive lover-man image. In his cover of Robert Johnson's Crossroads, the second song in on his Sunday night Rexall show, he located the blues in sizzling leads snaking out from three guitars over a hot rhythm section, anchored by celebrity drummer/ producer Steve Jordan.
It was impressively over-the-top, and Mayer can really play. But the end result is less like Otis Rush and more like Blueshammer, the ham-handed blues-rock band from the movie Ghost World that became a byword for cheese.
Worry not, though, fans: I have not come to bury Mayer, but to praise him. After all, you have to give the man credit for abandoning the acoustic and ripping it up with Kanye West and Buddy Guy, attempting the sort of mid-career shift that gives managers ulcers. Heartbreak Welfare and Perfectly Lonely, tunes from his latest, Battle Studies, show what he's learned -- if not how to play the blues, at least where to find them, in shiny, uptempo pop-soul music given rhythm-and-blues weight by a killer backup band.
The guitar hero himself was no slouch, measuring up nicely even against another high-priced sideman, former Pretenders/Paul Mc-Cartney guitarist Robbie McIntosh. Switching to acoustic midway through, Mayer gave the 8,000 in attendance a little bit of that wonderland magic with a medley of early hits, including No Such Thing and My Stupid Mouth.
Spot Mayer a couple of years and he may even enter Boz Scaggs territory, though he's got a long way to go before he'll approach Scaggs's brand of elegant blues-funk. Still, he's got the falsetto, the guitar and taste in sidemen, so who knows? If he plays his cards correctly, and maybe grows an ironic moustache, he can jump the queue and be taken up as the new Hall & Oates, in one body. Fingers crossed.
Michael Franti and Spearhead
brought energy and happiness
to Rexall Place on Sunday night,
a concertgoer said.
Photograph by:
Graham Denholm,
Getty Images, Freelance |
Michael Franti and Spearhead may not have had the sex appeal of the headliner, but for many in attendance, they clearly outshone Mayer. Franti's music is completely different from when he first came through town in the late '80s with the Beatnigs, hammering sheets of metal while declaiming over industrial rap, but it still twists in unexpected ways.
Reggae, rock, funk, hip-hop are the starting points, but Franti (who lived in Edmonton for a year in the '80s) seems uninterested in being branded for better selling purposes. This results in middling record sales but fantastic live performances, and if his songs sometimes lose their edge in this blend, they're still irresistible.
When he does find a way to get a hit single, as he did with set closer Say Hey (I Love You), it's almost ridiculously irresistible, a go-go-powered dance number that had audience members up onstage and dancing through at least three false endings.
Franti then jumped off the stage and wandered into the crowd, signing autographs, posing for photos and dispensing hugs while the crew set up for Mayer. Like his music, it was both surprising and affirming, and made you wonder what might happen if more rock stars ignored the boundaries between themselves and the audience.
- - -
REVIEWS BY YOU
- -John Mayer was so amazing and I felt blessed to see him live. I enjoyed every second of it and wished it could have gone on for hours. When is he coming to Edmonton again?!
- -I have seen Mayer twice and own a couple live DVDs. Nothing is ever the same, and he continues to alter the progression of the songs and make them different than CDs or previous concerts. John Mayer is the Eric Clapton of our time. Mark my words -- he will be around for a long time. It wasn't the best concert I have seen, but it was not disappointing.
- -Loved Michael Franti and Spearhead! I have seen Franti at the Edmonton Folk Fest and came to see him specifically last night. He was amazing! He is such an ultimate performer. His energy is contagious. Rexall was bursting with positivity. I'll come to see him as soon as you bring him back. John Mayer is a good guitarist and the drum solo was amazing, but his show fell flat. That was OK, because we came to see specifically Franti, and he was FANTASTIC. Too bad he did not play longer.
- -Terrible, garbage. ... If that is what (Mayer) is going to give his fans, he needs a new career ... very, very disappointed.
- -Loved the concert! He brought the crowd back to his original hits and had us all singing and dancing to them. Although short and lacking other songs many people had hoped for (I suppose he can't please everyone, right?), it was an amazing-sounding concert. The opening act, Michael Franti and Spearhead, was AWESOME! Everyone in Rexall was dancing, singing and clapping. He even invited fans onstage to join him in dancing. This really opened up a great vibe for John Mayer.
- -This being the first time that I had the chance to see John Mayer perform live, I was more than impressed and glad that I attended. The passion and the skills that he emits while he plays the guitar and sings are out of this world. It is not every day you get to see world-class talent like this come to Edmonton.
- -Tonight was the seventh time I've seen John in concert. I've met him on two occasions and, although I still remain a fan, I feel like his performance tonight was both rushed and too slow. His solos were way shorter than any I have ever seen, and the tempos on a number of tracks were slowed down to a snail's pace. His guitar-playing was slick, and his voice was as good as ever. The drum solo performed by Steve Jordan was amazing, and you can see why John would want him as part of his musical entourage. Maybe we need him to return to the pompous John Mayer in order to really see the best performance.
- -John showed up tonight. I happened to be at the show in Calgary just the night before and found myself a bit disappointed. John seemed to just give a cookie-cutter performance there. In Edmonton I felt like he was present and interactive.
- -I was not a John Mayer fan when I walked into Rexall, but left as one. The show was entertaining; sound quality was good for the setting. Mayer is an excellent musician and guitarist. I enjoyed the old and new songs. As for his band, they too were excellent. I was surprised how strong his voice was. In regards to Michael Franti and Spearhead ... never heard of them before tonight, but what a high-energy, entertaining opening act. Going out tomorrow to get a couple of his CDs.
- -John sounded great. So did his band backing him up. I do think some of the light show was a little corny.
- -Michael Franti brought so much energy and happiness into Rexall, and even if you don't know any of the songs, you would dance along anyway. John Mayer was amazing. I saw him the last time he came for his Continuum tour and I'd have to say that this time he was much better. His voice is so soothing to listen to and the instruments blew me away. Too bad John Mayer is kind of a jerk in real life -- but his music is too good to not like him.
|
|
