The Grammy-award winning artist and maestro behind award-winning singles like “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” “Waiting for the world to change,” and “Gravity” had taken things slow since the past many years. After multiple solo performances, the artist had some run-ins with the motivation to carry on.
Back in 2015, three former members of the Grateful Dead came together with John to create Dead and Company. Ever since then, John has stepped away from the spotlight and found it “awfully cozy” to be a band member than a solo artist.
He shares, “It was awfully cozy to play in Dead & Company because I’m not in the center of the stage,” Mayer further added, “I have really grown to love that vantage point to musically make those contributions from that place. I wasn’t sure about whether I was going to find that love for it again and then like song three I was like ‘OK, this is not ever going away.”
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Mayer has had trouble in the past thinking that he lost the centerstage appeal that inadvertently led him to reside as a groupie. He’s now rekindling that love for the spotlight and is using his newfound inspiration to perform the classics of his eighth studio album “Sob Rock.” His concert tour started in Los Angeles and will now go to other cities including San Francisco, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas.
He shares that regaining confidence was like learning how to ride a bike. He had many moments of contemplation where he missed singing songs in front of the crowd, especially at a time when no concerts took place. The pandemic had been a hit for all global superstars who migrated to virtual jam sessions on Instagram live and Discord. Like, how Adele had to postpone her residency amid the omicron surge. But that wasn’t the case for John.
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In a recent interview, he shared “It’s not a natural thing to stand on stage in front of a bunch of people. You don’t think that way when you’re at home for two years,” He further shared, “I was at home for two years washing dishes, looking at my hands going ‘Well, these hands from time to time played the guitar in front of 17,000 people a night.’ I think the one thing that drains out of a performer is just the sense memory of performing.”
Last month, Mayer returned to the big stage of SiriusXM and Pandora’s Small Stage Series as a headliner, which was refreshing to him. He jammed to the rhythm in front of a full-packed crowd in Los Angeles, alongside Heidi Klum and Vanessa Hudgens.
During his smooth performance, Mayer noticed a woman in the crowd losing consciousness for which he stopped the show. He asked about the woman’s wellbeing and stepped off stage so that the woman could get safely escorted out. He later returned to the stage to finish the show.
This act of generosity was praised by many fans across social media, especially how he handled it calmly. The singer was aware of the concertgoers’ safety, especially after the tragic death of 10 people in Travis Scott’s Astroworld.
“I think people are ultra-sensitive right now about taking care of each other and should be, given the fact that people witnessed a tragedy in those regards,” he said. “So I understand the sensitivity of wanting to stop the show. As soon as people raise the alarm and eight pairs of hands go up and start pointing to someone to stop the show, you have to stop it.”
Mayer took the show to perform his greatest classics like the award-winning “Waiting on the World to Change” and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room,” alongside the tracks of his latest album “Sob Rock.”
This was a mix of memories and a regain of confidence for him, especially after a rough few years in the pandemic. He didn’t even mind performing songs from his latest album which was released just months before his tour date.
“The music I make is not meant to be loved and consumed only this year,” he said. “I don’t flip out about the timeline of things because I’m already making a record that sounds like I can wait another 20 years to play ‘Sob Rock.’ I’m always trying to make music with longevity.”
Every musician dreams of returning to the big stage and John Mayer’s story is a great example. The pandemic had put a prolonged pause on the many activities of life, but just like Mayer, we can learn to regain confidence in the things we love. Mayer’s Sob Rock tour is now headed to the west, so be sure to check your regions for some upcoming Mayer performances.
