Gig Report: John Mayer

Date: Wednesday 25 June 2008, 09.30pm

Venue: Manchester Academy

Face Value: Phil paid - £20?

Gig Buddy: Phil

First off, if you are a John Mayer fan, I apologise. You may want to avert your eyes if you are sensitive of heart - for the report below is not a favourable one.

Still reading? Fine. On your head be it then.

I must preface this by saying that initially I was hesitant to go see this artist based purely on the fact that he was dating Jessica Simpson. Frankly anyone dim enough to bed the only person alive that doesn't know whether tuna is chicken or fish can't be much chop. But having heard a track or two (particularly 'Your Body Is a Wonderland') I agreed. Besides, he's dating Jennifer Aniston now, who is fab. As a side note, whilst I like that song, it's odd to me because there is a theme park in Sydney is 'Austalia's Wonderland' and it makes me think of that. So 'Your Body Is A Theme Park' is how I remember it.

Anyway, since we are now out of towners, it takes us a bit longer to get to the venue these days and we skip the support act. Phil makes the usual joke about missing the 'Doors' who seem to start every gig we go to at about 7pm. Ho ho. The Manchester Academy re-vamp work is now done, and we enter a slightly more upmarket entrance but otherwise the venue looks the same. John comes on to much applause and it's about now I realise that he has the tallest fans in the world. One guy even towered over Phil and he's a good 6 foot. Any chance I had of actually seeing much of Mr Mayer could only be improved by heading towards the back. So we did. To say the show was awful would be exaggerating it. Clearly John is a very talented musician. But sadly he played mostly tracks from his new album and ignored his back catalogue. His new album (for anyone who is thinking of buying it) sounds like quality Sunday morning music, the kind of stuff you'd hear as background music in a beat up bar while you stare blankly into a hair-of-the-dog Bloody Mary and fail miserably at a children's crossword because you are so hungover. It's heavily bluesy free form instrumental and as such didn't lend itself to much atmosphere. That's my polite way of saying that I was almost comatose by the time I left.

All that and no Theme Park song (or any of the other 4 hits Phil was expecting).

Encore a respectable 2 songs, but very evangelical finish to the evening, preaching that all you need to do is surround yourself with good people and life will be great. Easy to say when you are shagging a millionaire, eh John?

We leave before the band 'Curfew' come on. :)

Rating: a mediocre 3 guitars.