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So Scared of Getting Older/ I'm Only Good at Being Young

Who: John Mayer with LANY
When: April 22, 2017
Where: T-Mobile Arena/ Las Vegas, NV
With: Alex
Of Note: #24hoursinVegas

[Insert standard jokes about dusting the cobwebs off of this place.]

So, in April, I flew to Vegas to see John Mayer because this was the first leg of his first solo tour in four years and I was not going to miss it, dammit. (Even if subsequent legs of the tour are coming to SF.)

My feelings for John Mayer have been well documented here at RTE. I adore him - and looking back at what I've written about the times I've seen him in the past still hold up. The sentiment that, "I feel a little like I've grown up with him," seems more applicable than ever. His most recent album -'The Search for Everything' - brings us a John that has learned a few lessons, seen a few things, and is a bit more honest. I feel you, dude.

When the first single, 'Love on the Weekend', dropped, I listed to it on repeat for a full weekend and was blown away, as I often am, by just how incredibly smart a lyricist he is and how he's able to so accurately capture a feeling or specific moment in a phrase. The one that most slayed me? "And I'll be dreamin' of the next time we can go/ Into another serotonin overflow" Seriously, who can use the phrase "serotonin overflow" in a pop song and have it be both meaningful and sexy? John Mayer can. Also, his inflection on "like only we can" is one of those phrases that burrowed into my soul and tried to live there.

His strategy on this album - dropping it four tracks at a time - was an interesting one. This also meant that I had the opportunity to savor each and every song on repeat for weeks before I had more music to contend with. One of the other stand-outs, 'Still Feel Like Your Man', got one of the funniest Twitter Q&As ever. The song is pretty upbeat, has a bit of funk on it. But, it's a heartbreak song. You see, poor John, still feels like your man even though he's not. And amidst leaving parties early, turning down the prettiest girl in the room, and feeling like he's "never going to find another you" (I LOVE IT WHEN SONG LYRICS REFERENCE OTHER SONG LYRICS), he mentions that he "still keeps your shampoo in my shower, in case you want to wash your hair." Someone asked him about that on Twitter and he made a joke that if that were sung in an actual ballad, it would be the saddest song in the whole world. Scent memory is a thing y'all.

Anyway, this whole album speaks to the existential dread of being in your mdioadfjod(ahem)-30s and trying to figure out if what you've done up to this point is right, what comes next, and how to get over the heartbreak/ crippling loneliness of life. (Did you know that anything can be about you if you're enough of a narcissist?) I mean, every track on this album is exquisite. I cannot tell you how incredibly stoked I was to see it toured.

So, I recruited Alex into #28hoursinVegas that turned into #23hoursinVegas that turned into #48hoursinVegas because the travel mojo was not on her side. Prior to Alex's arrival, I got drinks at a townie themed bar, danced with middle-aged Canadian ladies, kissed a PhD candidate (sorry Mom!), and got burnt to a crisp drinking pina coladas by the pool (so... the usual). Alex arrived and it was off to a fancy dinner and then the show.

Okay, so, the show. Opening band LANY was perfectly serviceable. I remember that they had a song telling California to suck it. I mean, I still live here but it's not like I'm a completely different person or anything so I enjoyed that very much. (Sidebar: they just released a new album and it is totally worth checking out.)

And then. And then. THE GLORY THAT IS JOHN MAYER. He broke the show up into sections, each with a Chapter-ed title card and variation in set. First up was Chapter 1: The Full Band, then Chapter 2: Acoustic, and so on. Chapter 3 was The Trio, which is the first time they've played together in years and showed off a completely different side of his musicianship. The set list was so cleverly constructed, mixing old and new and showing the evolution between them. (To wit: "I'm Going to Find Another You" and "Still Feel Like Your Man" back to back in the first encore. 2006 Continuum John Mayer is going be a little defiant, tell you to take your sweaters and be on your way. He'll find another you. 2017 John? He's going to turn down pretty ladies' advances and (creepily?) sniff your shampoo in the shower while he licks his wounds and gets over you.)

I love that 2017 John made a lot of fun of 'Your Body Is a Wonderland', providing mocking commentary throughout. (Though, when he talked about doing the song that put him on the map, I really thought it was going to be 'No Such Thing'.) 'Who Says' will always be a favorite of mine - again, a song from a John of a more defiant era. When followed by 'Helpless' ('The same drink that gets me out the door/ is the same drink that puts me on the floor') shows evolution.

The 'Acoustic' chapter was quiet and talk-y and if it wasn't an enormous arena, you would have thought you were at the recording of Joe's cafe. 'Stop This Train', a song about grappling with aging and what that means, had a tease of 'Homeward Bound' at the end. If he had actually played 'Homeward Bound', I might have combusted (songs with the word 'Home' in them being an emotional button of mine).

I could go on and on about how magical this show was. He seemed relaxed, at ease. He said he was having fun and that we were showing him how to re-examine his old catalog, that he was getting more out of playing it than ever. He was the perfect ratio of dreamboat to rockstar, pop idol to virtuoso. He was genial and appreciative of the crowd and everything you could ever want from a performer. This show meant a lot to me; I've been seeing this guy for almost 15 years and it's good to see both his return to form and that his take on life still mirrors some of my own outlook.

The only other thing I want to talk about is the 'Epilogue'. So the stage set up was a giant lightboard screen across the back of the stage. It didn't do anything other than have images and video projected on it throughout the show. For his second encore, John came out and sat down at a magically appearing piano and played the haunting 'You're Going to Live Forever In Me', a song that talks about the lasting impact the people you care about have on you - how bits of you are forged in each meaningful relationship and how you take pieces of those people with you. It's raw and open and I can't even think about it without tearing up. He sits and plays this while the screen behind him is lit up in bright white. At the end, he bids his final thanks, walks to the back of the stage, opens a door and walks out. MOST BALLER EXIT EVER.

Anyway, John Mayer. I love that dude. And someday, when I write a jukebox musical about my life, it's going to be to his music.

Who says you can't go home? 




John-ception! 



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