John Mayer http://www.johnmayer.com/ and his band on stage in Charlotte last Wednesday night. I took this picture from my not so great seats purchased 30 seconds after they went on sale… A full house all the way to the lawn, it was a great show. I was reminded of a Beatles show in the beginning! The girl screams were ear-bending and mind-blowing. It seems there were as many people there watching guitar playing as there were pop-star worshiping female fans. Yes my daughter was with me.
I didn’t mention there was an introduction by James Morrison http://www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com/ and The Ben Folds Band. http://www.benfolds.com/
Both of these acts were very good. Go check them out if they appear in your neighborhood.
As the night progressed, I found myself listening to the guitar work and passing back in time to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, and Eric Clapton. You can hear the influences of all these players in John’s work. Now I am not trying to make any comparisons of the players side by side but you can tell who this boy listens to. His music is fun to hear. To the experienced ear it is cool to hear riffs of old songs weaved into his music. To the uninitiated, these chops go unnoticed. A show like this will make you feel old, IF you let it. As if….
Finally you should check out the link to John Mayer’s site above. He is joining Dave Matthews, Phil Vasser, and Nas in September to put on a free show for the Virginia Tech students and staff. Great job guys for thinking of those in need. http://www.vt.edu/concert/