John Mayer is back on a long overdue tour after a lengthy battle with a vocal chord granuloma (basically an unpleasant lump in his neck), which rendered him literally voiceless for the best part of six months. Some say this was a godsend. Unfortunately, aside from his music he is also known for often saying things he later regrets in high profile interviews. However on this tour it is clear that he has set out to do one thing only and that is to play music, the one thing that he is consistently brilliant at.
I have had the privilege of seeing John Mayer on a number of occasions, each with slight variations to his band roster. This time in London’s O2 Arena however, he came equipped with a completely different arsenal of musicians. Exciting as this was, it became apparent after a few songs, that they were still going through minor teething issues within a live setting. Compared with past incarnations something just didn’t seem as tight. Maybe it was his new “anything goes” gung ho attitude to performing that has led to this unfortunate slip, or maybe they are still gaining momentum as a collective, who knows. However the strongest connection it has to be said, was definitely between John and the astounding Aaron Sterling (the drummer on Mayer’s latest country inspired album Paradise Valley), both of them lead the band with infectious chemistry that seemed to shine even brighter than the large impressive high definition screen looming behind them - beaming images of towering canyons, beautifully lit night skies and hypnotic moving landscapes. The visuals were a complete treat, extremely lavish and unashamedly overt, but the passion and energy emitting from the stage was far more impressive. It felt as if John had discovered a new lease for life after the dark cloud of the tabloids had all but stripped him of his credibility and nearly taken everything from him.
After the release of Born and Raised (his most laid back and mellow acoustic album to date), there was fear amongst fans that the days of his bombastic and jaw dropping guitaristic acrobatics were numbered. This couldn’t have been further from the truth after witnessing the astounding skill he displayed that night at the O2. He stayed true to his bluesy roots by ripping through solo after solo, taking good care not to overpower his “new sound” along the way. The set was punctuated with older classics such as “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”, “I Don’t Trust Myself” and even going as far back as “Why Georgia”, enough to keep the most die hard of fans all nodding their heads in approval.
Whilst Mayer’s performance was, as to be expected, nothing short of exceptional, for me it was the opening act that completely stole the show and along with many other audience members, my heart. Gabrielle Aplin was her name. At just twenty one years of age, she found herself plonked on a stage in front of eighteen thousand people, dwarfed by Mayers backline which at this point was covered with ominous black cloaking, a sign to the audience that “The big boys” were yet to come out and play. All of this however didn’t seem to faze the Aplin. As soon as her beautiful, pure, soaring voice echoed throughout the O2, the still gathering hoards of JM fans stood still in awe, her talent almost palpable. Her set though short, was near perfect. Of course there were the odd shouts of “we want John!” from the depths of the beast, emanating from an an obviously intoxicated gig-goer. This however did not detract from the brilliance that we were witnessing. Moving from folky, acoustic guitar driven pop songs to powerful piano ballads backed by an equally talented and young looking band, Gabrielle managed to conjure up a feeling in me that I hadn’t felt from a gig in a seriously long time. Aside from being impressed by gazing at incredibly incandescent stage lighting or being pulled in by the alluring HD screens that Mayer had to offer, this was something pure of heart, not yet tainted by celebrity status or marred by daily-mail-esque vitriol. No, Gabrielle was there to join John on a quest to give one thing to the masses...good music.
Mission accomplished.
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