Ladies and gentlemen, the John Mayer of old is back. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you probably know why I say this. Either way, I’ll start (briefly) from the beginning anyway. Mr. Mayer & I go way back: I was first introduced to his music just before his breakthrough hit “No Such Thing” exploded (circa Inside Wants Out, 2001-ish), and was immediately hooked. His fame continued to grow over the years. I didn’t notice at first, but somehow the seemingly almost shy, sweet, clever lyricist with an unusual tone and stellar guitar skills had become unrecognizable. He seemed to have bought into his own celebrity, and even if I’d have wanted to, I couldn’t have defended friends who insisted he’d become the ultimate “douche.” It didn’t keep me from listening, but it made me sad nonetheless. And then, miraculously, in 2010, he was somehow alerted to this drastic change in himself. Abruptly quitting Twitter, John took a hiatus to get back to himself. Then he lost his voice, which threatened the future of his career, though in the end it finally healed. Last year finally brought us the delicious folk/country-rock Born and Raised, and Wednesday ended my unintentional John Mayer hiatus as I finally had the chance to see him live for the first time in the better part of a decade, at Wheatland’s Sleep Train Amphitheatre, with recent American Idol winner Phillip Phillips in support. Continue reading “Show Review: John Mayer with Phillip Phillips at Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/24/2013”