Livemusic.fm

Reading several reviews of previous gigs I have to say I went to see Mayer slightly unsure what to expect. Not necessarily an avid fan, I had heard nits and pieces from his albums, some of which I liked more than others. Being a blues fan, there were parts of Continium that struck a chord, but I decided to go with an open mind and see what his live performance would be like.

I can’t say I’ve ever left a gig (early) with such mixed feeling. It’s obvious this guy can play the guitar. Technically, very advanced and, classically trained, a great musician,. The (slightly older) band were very groovy and extremely tight. Mayer obviously the front man, but they could all pack their weight. The cover of Clapton’s version of “Crossroads” at the beginning of the set boded well. It got the crowd worked up, and I admit left me wanting for more. Unfortunately however, from then on it was down hill .As I said the music was fun and played with emotion, and the guitar solos were pretty exciting. I just couldn’t help being really aggravated by him though. And his voice. It just didn’t seem to match up. I am aware this might be somewhat controversial. After all, the Apollo was packed to the brim, and the crowd seemed to be loving his set full of hits. He no-doubt has a massive following, and if you’re in to that kind of thing, then I hope you enjoyed it.

For me though, the cheesy, crooner vocals just grated and overshadowed the music, which at best was just about worth the trip down there. The ego-centric ramblings in between songs, ending with corkers like “man, I can f*$%ing play the guitar,” was just too much, and by the time he’d stripped down to a vest with his guns out, I’m afraid we were on our way out the back door.

Louis Sherr