John Mayer at the Pepsi Center - 03.23.10

Despite all that goes on in his personal life, John Mayer still puts on a hell of a concert.

After an invigorating opening performance by Michael Franti and Spearhead - who had the crowd clapping and jumping for a straight hour, demonstrating the joyful power of music - Mayer took to the stage.

Keeping the banter to his usual self-deprecating style, he instead focused on the music, giving the crowd at the Pepsi Center who braved a snowstorm to see him an evening of blistering guitar work.

Taking most of the setlist from his latest release, Battle Studies, he burned his way through a cover of "Crossroads" that would make his friend Eric Clapton proud, and sent his guitar wailing through "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room."

Keeping in touch with his more pop/folk roots, he played his first hit, "No Such Thing" with all the energy of somebody just getting started, and gave fans a double treat with a solo-acoustic versions of "Comfortable," from his debut EP, and brilliant cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'."

Mayer is a musician very much in touch with the wide range of influences on his music. From tapping into a U2-esque guitar line on "Heartbreak Warfare," to leading into "Half of My Heart" with Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman," and injecting his soulful "Gravity" - perhaps his best song to date - with Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams," Mayer imbues his music with a sense of history, which is part of what makes it so accessible.

The other part is the sheer fun and joy the fans get out of it. The crowd sang along to practically every song, taking the lead in the bridge of live favorite "Why Georgia," and it was obvious that despite his personal missteps, it's the music that matters.

As long as Mayer remembers that - and keeps putting his heart into his shows - he'll be fine.

Setlist:
Heartbreak Warfare - Battle Studies
Crossroads - Battle Studies
Vultures - Continuum
No Such Thing - Room for Squares
Perfectly Lonely - Battle Studies
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - Continuum
Assassins - Battle Studies
Comfortable - Inside Wants Out
Free Fallin' - Where the Light Is
Waiting on the World to Change - Continuum
Half of My Heart - Battle Studies
Bigger Than My Body - Heavier Things
Why Georgia - Room For Squares
Encore
Who Says - Battle Studies
Gravity - Continuum