I have seen a lot of gigs in my life — mostly international artists. But John Mayer’s Mumbai concert was perhaps the best of them in terms of everything.
It was exactly what I had imagined, and yet more than what I expected.
He was the only guy on stage, and he was terrific. A six-string acoustic, then a 12 string, he used a resonator, he played electric guitar, he played a piano — it was phenomenal.
While playing the piano he played the electric guitar. He changed chords with the left hand and played the piano with the right. I’ve seen many great artists — none of them at the peak of their career. This was my first artiste at his peak and in full form.
Entering the arena was a very smooth experience. From food to smoking zones, everything was very well organised, and the audience was so cool.
But my God, Mayer is a magnanimous, brilliant musician — very confident and he is actually a very passionate singer. The sound was pretty impeccable, it was such a big space and it was a race course, not like a stadium.
It was the acoustic guitar which sounded incredible, crisp, warm, just exactly what was needed. The voice blended very well with it and I was standing right in front of the console, which was probably the best space for anybody to be.
He started off with Slow Dancing in a Burning Room. He spoke very less but he apologised for not being able to come on January 22 and to people who missed the gig. And he thanked those who waited so many years for him to come to India. He is a great guitar player. He is a great singer. He is a great looker on stage. Everything falls just right.
The lighting, his stage, the background, graphics, it was all so well coordinated. Though nothing was very complicated, it somehow complemented his song’s whole visual appeal. It's just brilliant and there is no gimmick on stage, there is no gimmick when he started playing
No wonder he is a great musician who has won the Grammy seven times.
He improvised. He did it when he sang. Gravity was the last song of the concert. He did the whole Gravity with just one electric guitar and exactly like it is when you listen to it on an album or YouTube so there are no drums, there is no bass, nothing. He just used his looper and he looped a little chord and he played the solo on top — an incredibly extended solo, incredible, impeccable solo.
Mayer started at 8.30pm and wrapped it up by 10. I liked his sound, I liked his attitude, I liked his approach. It was a very my kind of concert.
(As told to Mohul Bhattacharya)