John Mayer returned to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night for the last of four shows he’s played this year at the iconic New York City arena. In contrast to the show on Tuesday, Mayer mostly left the covers behind and opted to put on a master class in singer-songwriter performance. Mayer’s set was polished yet relaxed, refined by a year of touring and bolstered by the confidence that everything would turn out alright (and indeed, it did).
Following an intimate set from opener JP Saxe, Mayer took the stage and kicked the night off with an uptempo “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”. The Dead & Company guitar hero then put the crowd (and himself) more at ease with a bit of banter before donning a harmonica for “Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey”. The crowd erupted at the mention of New York City in the song’s opening line, setting a familiar, jubilant tone for the rest of the evening.
“I’m gonna approach this next song as if it’s not mine and I’m just covering it,” Mayer declared before performing a unique version of “Wild Blue” replete with some new chord changes and impressive vocal runs. The melodies may have been unfamiliar, but the crowd surely appreciated a fresh take on one of the standout tunes from 2021’s Sob Rock.
Mayer then took up his new custom Martin OM-45, unmistakable with its gray sunburst top. A quick, sunny intro evolved into Born & Raised staple “Queen of California”, anchored by stompbox and loop pedals at his feet that helped to drive the song home. Maybe all that playing with Ed Sheeran lately is rubbing off.
When he embarked on the first leg of this tour back in February of this year, Mayer had mentioned wanting to avoid looping his guitar as much as possible, fearing that it might be a bit of a crutch for him as a solo performer. Yet, hot on the heels of Dead & Company’s The Final Tour, and perhaps with that spirit of improvisation still in the air, Mayer seems much more willing to embrace the looper on this current leg of the tour and appears to have found a comfortable balance in using it tastefully.
Following a short video from 2001 showing a boyish Mayer introducing his debut album Room For Squares, “Why Georgia” became the night’s first big singalong. Then, after focusing the room’s energy with a tease of the rare Born & Raised-era tune “Go Easy on Me”, he launched into Battle Studies single “Who Says”, courting the crowd to sing along with the chorus line, “It’s been a long night in New York City.”
Sob Rock’s “Shouldn’t Matter But It Does” followed, featuring a relatively new interpolation of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” toward the end that sent ripples of recognition through the crowd. Mayer then ripped through the Room For Squares pop-funk favorite “Neon”, featuring a muscular bridge breakdown as its centerpiece.
Related: John Mayer Welcomes Steve Miller For Acoustic “The Joker” At Madison Square Garden [Video]
Next, Mayer played “Drifting”, the new, unreleased song he’s been workshopping this year. Compared with its performances at the start of the solo tour all the way back in February, the song is much improved and benefits from the confidence and polish of months of work. Raucous applause then marked the beginning of fan favorite “In Your Atmosphere”, finished with a funkier take on the normally ethereal “Wherever I Go” outro.
Reacting to a song request sign while walking to the piano at stage right, Mayer good-naturedly attempted a bit of “Vultures” before delivering a delicate, gorgeous “You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me”, a slow burner from 2017’s The Search For Everything. Still, a cornerstone of these shows continues to be his performance of “Changing”. The moment he picks up his electric guitar after looping the piano chords always elicits gasps and applause, and the melodic, evocative guitar solo that consistently follows makes for a performance that stands apart from the rest of the set. Mayer ended the song with one hand on the keys and one on the fretboard in a remarkable display of musical coordination that has become the most consistent highlight of each solo show.
Another short “throwback” video aired, this time about the 2006 release of Continuum, which ended with the younger Mayer speculating that one day he will have made so much music that he might possibly string together a setlist exclusively of hit songs. That day seemed to have come to stay as he picked his acoustic guitar back up to sing “Stop This Train”. Always lyrically poignant, the song seems to take on more and more of a singalong vibe as its fans age gracefully along with it.
Casting a wary look at the electric guitar sitting tantalizingly behind him, Mayer smirked and said, “Let’s try this next one acoustic,” before jumping into a dancy, experimental version of “New Light”. Watching and hearing him figure it out on the acoustic in real time—and shouting encouragement all the while—was just plain fun for the whole crowd. Mayer’s classic BLK1 Fender Stratocaster then made an appearance to support Grammy-winning tune “Gravity” and provided a wonderfully nostalgic electric guitar tone during the looped outro solo. Back on acoustic, Mayer capitalized on the nostalgia with “Your Body Is a Wonderland” before transitioning into a surprise tour debut of another fan favorite, “Covered In Rain”.
He then picked up his instantly recognizable National Resonator 12-string, its shiny silver top glinting under the stage lights, which could only mean one thing: time for Born & Raised story-song “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967”. One striking guitar followed another, with Mayer switching to his custom Martin double-necked acoustic for definitive solo performances of “If I Ever Get Around To Living” and “Edge of Desire”, both featuring underlying looped sections allowing him to improvise and embellish overtop to end the set on an energetic note.
After a heartfelt “Thank you” and a moment offstage, Mayer returned to encore with Heavier Things rarity “Wheel”, followed by his cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’,” capping a show full of tunes cherished by artist and audience alike. Catch Mayer’s next stop at the TD Garden in Boston, MA on Friday, October 6th, and find a full list of tour dates here.
John Mayer – “Slow Dancing In A Burn Room” – 10/4/23
[Video: Rebecca Ledewitz]
Setlist: John Mayer | Madison Square Garden | New York, NY | 10/4/23
Acoustic: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey, Wild Blue, Queen of California, Why Georgia, Go Easy On Me [1], Shouldn’t Matter But It Does [2], Neon, Drifting, In Your Atmosphere [3]
Piano: Vultures [1], You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me, Changing [4]
Acoustic: Stop This Train, New Light
Electric: Gravity
Acoustic: Your Body Is a Wonderland, Covered In Rain, Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967
Double-necked acoustic: If I Ever Get Around To Living, Edge of Desire
Encore: Wheel, Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty)
[1] Tease
[2] w/ “Forever Young” by Alphaville interpolation
[3] w/ “Where I Go” outro
[4] w/ electric guitar solo