John Mayer in Concert at Madison Square Garden: A Review

The result of heavy snowfall didn't stop Madison Square Garden or rabid fans from abandoning the large arena on February 26^th. The occasion? Singing superstar, celebrity lothario and recent tabloid staple, John Mayer was in town playing the second of two performances at the world famous arena.

Mayer has spent quite some time in the news as of late due to his controversial Playboy interview, and his subsequent, numerous apologies for his inappropriate and off-color remarks on a wide variety of topics. He had never been known to keep his opinion to himself, but he had also never crossed a line quite like he did with this interview. Seemingly putting the past behind him Mayer did not reference the interview or the backlash he had received during the concert (although he did apologize, and thanked his fans for believing in him, the night before).

The stadium was packed - filled with couples, older and younger, and lots of teenage girls who seemed to not mind the controversy at all (one girl even held up a sign that read 'your new sexual napalm' with an arrow pointing down at her throughout the concert). If one thing was learned at the concert it is that John Mayer fans are very loyal, and very passionate about the guitar playing superstar.

And what is so easy to forget because of his attitude and demeanor that can be so off-putting is that he is insanely talented. Playing endless, complicated, brilliant guitar solos with such ease came naturally to him. Between playing the chords of familiar songs to just playing whatever he felt like, even when his guitar was lying flat on the floor, he showed the screaming crowd that his guitar skills are a force to be reckoned with.

Mayer put on a surprisingly good show. He was entertaining and flawless throughout his approximately two hour set, and songs like No Such Thing, his cover of Tom Petty's Free Falling or Waiting on the World to Change, are that much better live, especially when a sold out arena is singing along with him. If there was one complaint about the show though it is that Mayer sang plenty of his new songs, yet left out major hits like Your Body Is A Wonderland, Say and Daughters - for whatever the reason, you could feel the void as people left wondering why songs such as these had been left out. The reason why you thought that leaving the arena though, was because the concert had non-stop energy, and so much fun, you were barely paying attention.

It is also important to make note of the phenomenal opening performer. Michael Franti and Spearhead hit the stage with a burst of energy and never slowed down. Not once. Whether they were on stage dancing, or walking around and dancing with the audience, when he was on he commanded the stage and the audience, whether they knew all the words to all his songs, or had never heard them before, were up dancing and singing along. Franti proved to be a truly spectacular star, and no one could resist singing along to his latest hit Say Hey (I Love You) at the end of his set. Franti is so good, in fact, that Mayer brought him out on stage during Waiting on the World to Change.

Whether you were sitting in the front row or all the way at the very top of the Garden, there was no way you could not feel the energy and have fun at this concert. From the opening act to the closing encore of Who Says and Gravity, Mayer proved that he is, if nothing else, the epitome of a performer.