John Mayer playing in Pittsburgh Augusts 1st, 2010 (pic by P Keigan)

John Mayer visits the ‘Burgh next Sunday, on August 1^st, at the First Niagara Pavilion. (Yes, I still want to call it the Post-Gazette, too, but that’s show biz.) I’ve seen some good shows there in the past—the name change can’t have made that much of a difference.

Mayer is one of those artists whose place in the pop culture often eclipses the art itself. That’s a dangerous place for an artist—people will form opinions about the individual (based on what the press reports) without ever viewing the painting, reading the book, watching the movie, hearing the music. I remember when this happened to me, back in the early 90’s, when Nirvana was suddenly everywhere—before I ever had a chance to hear their music, I was already tired of them.

It’s a point of honor with me never to pay attention to entertainment gossip, but even I have not been able to avoid Mayer’s name bursting through the static, as he’s photographed with this sweet thang on his arm while running his mouth about the one he kicked to the curb last week. The French call it succès de scandale—“success from scandal”—the notion that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Mayer, an artist who reportedly has an ego of sufficient dimension to revel in press of any variety, sometimes seems to have taken this adage to heart, but I wonder if perhaps he is crazy like the proverbial fox, in that he knows that the people who dismiss him solely on his actions also wouldn’t be likely to appreciate his music even if they didn’t know who they were hearing.

I am also reminded of the old reporter’s joke about what to do when you find the truth behind the legend—print the legend. This humble writer prefers to focus on the truth. The truth is that he’s a great guitarist and can be counted on consistently for a good live show. His most recent album, last year’s Battle Studies, seems to be less beloved than his earlier work – by the critics, Mayer’s fans, even Mayer himself. Regardless of this, word is that he’s relying heavily on its songs on his current tour. Mayer and his fans have somehow stumbled across an important secret: Mayer’s concerts loom larger than his albums in the hearts of his fans. As with many other performing artists—musicians, actors – who seem most at home onstage, Mayer’s studio albums are simply blueprints of what the music becomes in concert.

It could very well be that a particular favorite of mine, “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” works for me in particular because I’ve been in the same place he’s talking about, more than once, unfortunately:

We’re going down,
And you can see it too.
We’re going down,
And you know that we’re doomed.
My dear,
We’re slow dancing in a burning room.

…and I’ll just go ahead and believe he’s writing from personal experience, if for nothing else but for the emotion he puts into his soloing:

A more extreme example is “Gravity,” a song Mayer performs just about every night. The lyrics are simple, not even a true verse and chorus:

Gravity is working against me
And gravity wants to bring me down
I’ll never know what makes this man
With all the love that his heart can stand
Dream of ways to throw it all away.

And yet, as you will see above, Mayer usually turns it into a ten-minute exorcism with his guitar. What works for me personally in, for example, the above two songs is that the lyrics aren’t simply shallow wordplay used as excuses for yet another jaw-dropping Fender Stratocaster (Sorry—“Fender SERIES II John Mayer Stratocaster”) workout. It’s the way he keeps repeating, “Just keep me where the light is” as if he might die if he doesn’t. As a listener, I don’t necessarily need to know why it’s so significant to him—I just know that it is, and I’d rather make his pain my own, anyway.

It should also be fairly obvious by now that Mayer is also not just another technique-flaunting guitar slinger. You certainly can’t call his guitar playing modest, but speaking from the point of view of someone who has seen and heard a lot of other chopmeisters, I don’t consider him excessive, either.

So next Sunday night at the Post-Gazette, I mean the First Niagara Pavilion, I’ll be there. There should be plenty of women oohing and aahing; there should be plenty of guitarheads shaking their heads in envy and bafflement. I won’t be either. I’ll just be there to see an artist lay it all out there, and let the tabloids babble as they may.

Other summer shows at First Niagara Pavilion:

• July 29, 2010 – Kiss
• July 30, 2010 – Brooks and Dunn
• August 1, 2010 – John Mayer
• August 3, 2010 – Christina Aguilera
• August 7, 2010 – Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival
• August 11, 2010 – Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato
• August 12, 2010 – Jimmy Buffet
• August 19, 2010 – Ozzfest
• August 22, 2010 – Toby Keith
• August 28, 2010 – Stone Temple Pilots
• September 7, 2010 – Kings of Leon
• September 17, 2010 – Rascal Flatts and Kellie Pickler

Chris Rosella

Chris moved from Boston to the Burgh about 10 years ago. He was raised a Steelers fan, but still sees Pittsburgh through the eyes of a visitor. He especially enjoys writing about music.

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