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With a more blues-focused sound, John
Mayer entertained a large crowd...and Maroon 5 rocked
it.
Even though I thought Maroon 5 would out shine John
Mayer at the August 17th show, Mayer came through –
bigtime.
I enjoyed his first album “Room For Squares”
but didn't care as much for the second release. I've
heard him talk to the media about his admiration for
BB King and other blues greats—and I've been wondering
exactly how his style was going to manifest as he gears
up to release his third album on Columbia Records. Even
though I support Mayer finding his true musical genre,
I thought that true blues (rather than a hint of it
as he's portrayed in the past) would never carry him
as a pop sensation.
But you never know.
After seeing him live, going off on his electric guitar
like a little boy with a new toy, I am eager to see
what Mayer does with his next album. I'm excited to
see him take what seems like a deeper interest in his
love of blues. Not to say the sensitive songwriter content
isn't in the music, because it is. I'd say this guy
will surely resurrect blues for our generation, the
way Jamie Cullum and Norah Jones brought jazz back to
life.
He rocked it radio-style with "No Such Thing",
"Bigger Than My Body" and "Your Body
is a Wonderland", but gave a powerful sampling
of his electric guitar capabilities in "Only Heart".
A sax and trumpet added a wonderful jazz touch, as did
David Ryan Harris by his side on acoustic.
Playing his upcoming hit, "Trust Myself",
it was clear to me that Mayer won't be fading into the
background any time soon. Though Heavier Things
didn't seem to land him on the map as Room for Squares
did, there may still be a place on the radio charts
for this new blues-concentrated sound. (And his die
hard fans will certainly support his refined vibe!)
(The obnoxious girls screaming behind me talking on
their cell phones and not paying attention to either
act—I don't know what will become of them. I'm
hoping not to see them at my next Mayer or Maroon show,
to be honest!)
Stage banter at the show was hysterical as Mayer discussed
getting lost on simple road trips and making 20-something
decisions.
Prior to the Mayer wonderworld, Maroon 5 took the stage
with the anger-hooked song "Through With You".
After that, I started to notice two things. First,
lead singer Adam Levine didn't seem to connect with
the fans using his personality as I've seen him do in
the past. Prancing around the stage is one thing, but
Levine seemed to encourage the crowd to cheer for him,
without going beyond the realm of studio-produced-sounding
songs, and without adding any witty stage banter. Not
that he's known for it, anyway.
Second, it sounded like I was listening to the CD with
a background of screaming fans. The fun twists they've
put in their songs, including powerful electric guitar
riffs, were the same as the last time I saw the band
live — in October.
They played "She Will Be Loved", "This
Love", "Sunday Morning" and "Shiver"
to name a few, and Levine got a little feisty in "Harder
to Breathe", but other than that, it didn't seem
like the band was enjoying themselves as I've seen them
do before.
I didn't sense any passion in their performance until
the band brought out injured on-leave drummer Ryan Dusick
to sing lead vocals while the step-in drummer exited
the stage and Levine took his place -- drumsticks in
hand. Now we're talking!
Dusick then proceeded to wail in a cover of "Highway
to Hell", which showed off the band's ability to
have fun. It seemed that they didn't have this charisma
until they stepped out of the cookie-cutter stage antics
and predictable songs that most of their shows contain
-- so it was a treat to watch them rock out.
I love Maroon 5's music, but I have to hand the biggest
props of the show over to Mr. Mayer.
Reviewed by Kristen
Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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