Gainbridge Fieldhouse is the absolute largest concert venue in Indianapolis, and somehow, it felt just as small and intimate as some of the smallest theaters in the city (once you got past the layers of security and hordes of fans). The Pacers’ home court was absolutely full of plush seating arranged in tidy rows and the usage of lighting and effects in general was very minimal. John Mayer is unquestionably one of the most popular and successful singer-songerwriters of this generation and the massive turnout this evening was a testament to his talent and timelessness.
You’re Not Mine Anymore, but I’m Still a Little Bit Yours
The best way to describe JP Saxe is “John Mayer-like”. Full stop. Do not get me wrong, he has his own charm and personality (I mean, have you seen his curls??) But he absolutely has the whole charismatic, handsome, talented, and heartbroken-enough-to-write-deeply-meaningful-lyrics process down to a science. The 30-year-old Canadian native is actually most well-known for his collaboration with ex-girlfriend Julia Michael titled “If the World Was Ending”, which received a Grammy nod in 2021; he played it toward the end of his set and joked that this song “changed his life a tad”. He is a very talented piano player, and has an extremely soulful and powerful voice. There were touches of vocal fry, but it was not constant and seemed to only appear when he was heavily emoting. He received a standing ovation after his set, which he humbly responded to, stating, “Whoa…standing?? That’s new!” Saxe just announced a world tour, with a stop back in Indianapolis next March, at the Deluxe at Old National. I for one will definitely be saving the date.
Two Wrongs Make It Alright Tonight
Tonight was pure magic, with John Mayer onstage just…being John Mayer. His setlist has variedfrom night to night, based on what he is feeling like playing as well as what requests are being held up on posters within his line of sight. The opener tonight was “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”, a performance which was brooding and shadowy. This song in particular was very moody, and Mayer just was so raw and human. I’ve always viewed him as this kind of larger than life Lothario, who also happens to be a majorly talented musician. Mayer is genuinely hilarious, and any prior assumptions or stereotypes I ascribed to him definitely went out the window tonight. His set was broken up into multiple parts, the first of which was his self-described “four song sit-down deep cuts”, which wrapped up with “Queen of California” from 2012’s Born and Raised. Interspersed between songs were several interview clips, the first of which was a promo for the Room for Squares release in 2001. One of my favorite songs of the night was his cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire”, which had a dreamy, lullaby-like intro. Mayer celebrated his 46th birthday the night before, and it came up several times during the show. At one point, he spoke at length about how he is a “birthday crier”, and that what really got him this year was his tour manager, Ken, picking him up a Fudgie the Whale ice cream cake from Carvel’s and sending him a video in which he gave him birthday greetings. Partway through the show, Mayer switched from acoustic guitar to piano. A testament to his insane talent, he did actually play piano with one hand and electric guitar with the other for a brief point during “Changing”. The second interview clip that was shown was from the promo for Continuum, with 2006 Mayer exclaiming how amazing it would be to one day have a tour that was just “hit after hit after hit” being played (little did he know that this would happen with his career continuing to grow, a decade and a half later). The second half of his set featured more acoustic guitar, including several songs at the end played on double-neck acoustic. He dedicated “Your Body is a Wonderland” to “All the fellas whose IPAs are never too hoppy…whose steaks are never more than medium rare…the guys that don’t tuck their shirts in”. The encore was made up of two absolute heavy hitters, starting with “Why Georgia”; throughout the whole night there was just so much love and emotion and intensity in the building and it was especially palpable during the chorus. The show then wrapped up with a cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin”. Indianapolis was one of the first major cities in the U.S. to give John Mayer air time while he was still an up and coming musician, so having a stop here on his nationwide tour was very apt and he really did seem humbled and appreciative that so many people have supported his music for so long. This was definitely a non-traditional format for a concert, but I greatly enjoyed the artistic freedom he had in terms of playing what he wanted, and catering to the specific audience he was with on a given night. This was not a concert I was expecting to attend, but I am so happy to have had this experience and would absolutely recommend that everyone see John Mayer live if given the chance.
The Good
The unpredictability of the setlist — keeps things interesting!
The humor and just general human interaction that Mayer had with the crowd (this man is genuinely so funny)!
The Not-as-Good
I really have no complaints here! I guess if I had to pick something I’d say that JP Saxe should have been given a bit longer set since there was only one opener.