John Mayer Trio & Ray LaMontagne

We’re not in MTV land anymore, Dorothy! For many of us, this comes as great relief. All this is courtesy of singer-songwriter John Mayer and the newly formed John Mayer Trio. The trio — drummer Steve Jordan (Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones) and bassist Pino Palladino (The Who, Beck) together with John Mayer — are taking us on a journey far from the safety and comfort of the path of “cash cows” and “pop princesses.” The trio kicked off their “blues” tour early this September with the two-night engagement at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco. In staying true to the blues style, the show was even stripped down and obviously under-produced so that the focus could aptly be placed on the music.
At first, this performance appeared no different from any other Mayer performance, though the average age of the sold-out crowd seemed only slightly higher than usual. The night opened with Ray LaMontagne performing an entirely acoustic set accompanied only by a stand-up bassist. LaMontagne is far from typical as a musician. His background isn’t his only non-traditional attribute. He appears almost uncomfortable with the occupation’s inherent attention and seems as shy and soft-spoken as his music is deep and soulful. His set included “Forever My Friend” and his hit single “Trouble.”
JMT took the stage shortly after 9 PM. They opened appropriately with B.B. King’s, “Every Day I Have the Blues.” The trio filled the subsequent two hours with classic rock and blues covers, introduced new material and added new flavor to a few existing Mayer tunes. Classics covers included Ray Charles’ “I Don’t Need No Doctor” and “I Got a Woman,” deep Hendrix track “Wait Until Tomorrow” and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Ain’t Gone ‘N’ Give Up on Love.” JMT successfully added a blues touch to “Daughters” and “Something’s Missing” from Mayer’s last CD release, Heavier Things.
So, do we make our way toward that yellow brick road in search of the guitar wizard? If you’re seeking a typical MTV pop performance, maybe not. But, most certainly, if you are interested in seriously phenomenal raw blues and classic rock guitar, complete with improvisation and blown out amps, Mayer’s talent is real and versatile. At times resembling the performance of Buddy Guy in his manner of gently enticing and teasing, with softly plucked strings, Mayer then explodes into all out guitar nirvana (not to mention how surprisingly well suited his vocals are, especially for the blues genre). The trio is daring on many levels. Covering legends Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King risks drawing back that curtain to expose weakness and potentially magnifying any limitations. However, when the curtain is pulled back, Mayer stands tall and is ultimately exposed for what he truly is: an astounding guitarist. His choice in comprising a power trio of talented veteran musicians is an undeniable advantage. This may well be a soul-seeking tangent in Mayer’s career, but the torch has been passed and he is consumed with the passion. Thankfully, he is bringing his fans along for this journey. You won’t find me tapping my ruby slippers together anytime soon.

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