More than 12,000 fans were treated to nearly 2.5 hours of guitar virtuoso, singer/songwriter John Mayer and his band Tuesday night in downtown St. Louis. And they were enrapt with this seven-time Grammy winner from the moment the first set kicked off with “Helpless.”
A simple, large video screen backdrop on stage highlighted Mayer and the band as well as other graphics that ranged from high desert mountains to dancing bears a la The Grateful Dead or snippets of music videos from songs throughout the night.
The cavernous Enterprise Center felt more intimate as the polite fans — a good mix of men and women adorned in everything from gold lamé dresses and heels to jean shorts — were drawn in by every note and chord Mayer and his band sung and played. With a huge repertoire of songs and a show that’s not choreographed to the hilt, each night of this summer tour has been different than the previous one.
About halfway through the first set, before launching into “Waitin’ on the Day,” Mayer joked with the audience saying, “this song is about sticking it out and hoping the other person comes around. I should write a sequel called ‘how’d that turn out?’.”
During “Why Georgia,” Mayer gave way, allowing the audience to sing the lyrics.
Up next was “Changing” that included a long guitar jam at the end — Mayer had six or seven guitars to choose from throughout the night which he often did seamlessly. (Side note — you know you’re in the company of a stellar guitarist when a large maker of guitars collaborates with that musician.)
Set one ended about exactly an hour after start time with “Still Feel Like Your Man,” one of the more upbeat songs so far and a precursor for most of the second set.
With a 25-minute break between sets the house lights came up and a few people spotted Blues goalie Jordan Binnington in the crowd and tried to snap a few discrete photos with their cell phones.
Set two started at 9:25 with an acoustic solo of “Emoji of a Wave” which kept the crowd seated until Mayer swung into the nearly acoustic (Steve Jordan with a rain stick) version of “Daughters.” Ramping up after that and eliciting even bigger cheers from the crowd was a splendid cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” with Mayer and David Ryan Harris.
The upbeat mood continued with “Love on the Weekend” and “Queen of California” which slid into a trippy cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Fire on the Mountain,” a nod to his involvement with Dead & Company.
Harris then sang the opening lyrics to “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” eliciting cheers from the audience marveling at his high notes and slight warble/yodel.
Before launching into “Gravity,” Mayer told the crowd, “You guys have been awesome. Thanks for coming along. Please make some noise for this band.”
After a brief pause — long enough for Mayer to switch out of his Dr. Seuss T-shirt and jacket to put on the #50 Blues jersey — and stroll back on stage to shouts of “Let’s Go Blues.” A close-up video screenshot revealed Binnington had signed the jersey, “John, You’re a legend. Keep on rockin’.”
The night ended beautifully with “I’m Gonna Find Another You” and Mayer’s 2018 hit “New Light.”
Find more photos from the night: http://bit.ly/Mayer2019cz.
Setlist https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/john-mayer/2019/enterprise-center-st-louis-mo-2b9f443e.html.
In my work life, I help nonprofits and small businesses with media and public relations. In my what I love to do life, you can typically find me photographing either wild horses or concerts.
