The Search For Everything: Just A Man And His Guitar
John Mayer? Yeah, I've heard of him; he's that guy that dated Katy Perry, and sang 'Waiting On the World To Change' and 'Daughters'.
A year ago, I would have said the above - that was all I knew about him, really. And then my friend introduced me to his music (I'm talking about 'Neon', 'Who Says', 'Moving On and Getting Over') and I was blown away... like, how have I not listened to his stuff before, after he's been active for so long? I mean, I guess I was kind of lucky in the sense that he was slowly releasing waves of 'The Search For Everything' while I was getting to know his art more, and that's what really got me into him ('Emoji Of A Wave' was my jam, and still is).
IT'S HAPPENING! @lenabrmstck AND I ARE (finally) GOING TO SEE JOHN MAYER! 😻
— Thia (@thiaxmusic) August 15, 2017
was so happy that @JohnMayer sang 'emoji of a wave' and 'who says' last night that i forgot to tweet about the concert
— Thia (@thiaxmusic) August 30, 2017
After seeing videos of JM performing, I knew I wanted to see him live someday (see above screenshot). And then my friend and I bought tickets to see him at Budweiser Stage in Toronto, just 2 weeks before the concert. A bit of a last minute decision, so we didn't get the best seats (plus, we're students with limited money), but that didn't matter, because we were there for the musical experience. And it did not disappoint. (Yeah... I'm a little late writing this post... just about 2 months, no biggie.)
He played our favourites, and charmed the crowd with his inspirational words and deep passion for music. Also, I vaguely recall him saying something about riding a dragon? It sounded a little weird, but it made a lot of sense. He also gifted the audience with an encore of his rarely performed (before the Toronto concert, at least - he started incorporating this track onto his setlist afterwards) 'Never On The Day You Leave', accompanying himself on the piano. I felt a lot of things when he performed 'Emoji Of A Wave', but even that didn't compare to when I listened to this final piece. I could somehow feel his hurt and his love for his art through his playing; in other words, his performance reached me. Now, that is something only good artists can achieve, reaching their audience on an emotional level.
Throughout the entire concert, I was entranced, mesmerized by his performance, and found myself closing my eyes to just bask in his music. The only other times i have done this was during orchestra concerts with Classical music, never any kind of popular music. Smells of smoke and weed aside, it was a wonderful listening experience.
SIDE NOTE: I didn't know that I could get into the Ex for free if I was attending a concert at Budweiser Stage... so, yeah, a lesson for next time.
