Soak Up The Fun: Sheryl Crow & John Mayer
Sheryl Crow & John Mayer: October 12, 2006: Ford Amphitheatre: Tampa, FL
“Daughters” is a serious, poignant song for John Mayer to perform. So when Sheryl Crow bounded on stage in a baby-blue bikini, twirling a baton like a high-strung teenager, Mayer’s anticipated performance of that song became the perfect opportunity for a prank at his expense. While her band, amusingly dressed in diapers and a bird suit and a penguin costume, cavorted across the stage, Sheryl Crow did her utmost to throw John Mayer for a loop. He managed to get through the song, but the charming sight of Sheryl Crow wearing next to nothing made the young man blush. “This doesn’t happen every night,” Mayer said afterwards in awe of the woman. “But it should.”
Even before frolicking in her two-piece, an ebullient Sheryl Crow (clad in jeans and black blouse) revved up the crowd, kick starting the concert with “A Change Would Do You Good” that included a juicy bit of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. Mayer joined in on “My Favorite Mistake,” after which Crow joked, “Step aside, Jessica Simpson!” Mayer’s rumored ex-girlfriend. A pointed take on “Redemption Day,” from her 1996 eponymous album, presaged a plaintive rendition of “Strong Enough,” from her 1994 debut, Tuesday Night Music Club. Crow then invited concert opener Marjorie Fair to jam on the James Gang rocker, “Walk Away,” setting the stage for a raucous sequence of songs to end her set. “If It Makes You Happy” and “Steve McQueen” riled up the audience. “Soak Up The Sun” and “Everyday Is A Winding Road” found everyone on their feet in a frenzy. And with that, Sheryl Crow got the Led out, plowing full-throttle through Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll”.
Beginning with “Belief,” a track from his latest album, Continuum, John Mayer pursued a more subdued approach in his set. Songs like “Good Love Is On The Way” and “Waiting On The World To Change” demonstrated soulful momentum and groove, but the finest performances lay in songs more restrained. “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” sounded as sultry as the title suggests. “Gravity,” arguably the most moving song of his set, illustrated the breadth of Mayer’s prowess on the guitar. His scorching solos sounded (and looked) like something straight out of the Clapton handbook. A clear crowd-favorite, “Why Georgia,” from his debut album, Room For Squares, closed out Mayer’s main set. After starting the encore with a questionable cover of the Police’s “Message In A Bottle,” Mayer hit full stride with his own “I’m Gonna Find Another You,” a fantastic song that finished off the night with a gut-wrenching guitar performance.
It’s evident that John Mayer takes his musicianship seriously, but he’s humble and human enough to have fun in the process. And so, in trying to refocus his attention after the practical joke during “Daughters,” Mayer candidly ran through the effort it took him in his mind to do so. “I’m thinking of power tools…of night classes involving cooking…and I’m back to thinking about a naked Sheryl Crow”.
“Daughters” is a serious, poignant song for John Mayer to perform. So when Sheryl Crow bounded on stage in a baby-blue bikini, twirling a baton like a high-strung teenager, Mayer’s anticipated performance of that song became the perfect opportunity for a prank at his expense. While her band, amusingly dressed in diapers and a bird suit and a penguin costume, cavorted across the stage, Sheryl Crow did her utmost to throw John Mayer for a loop. He managed to get through the song, but the charming sight of Sheryl Crow wearing next to nothing made the young man blush. “This doesn’t happen every night,” Mayer said afterwards in awe of the woman. “But it should.”
Even before frolicking in her two-piece, an ebullient Sheryl Crow (clad in jeans and black blouse) revved up the crowd, kick starting the concert with “A Change Would Do You Good” that included a juicy bit of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. Mayer joined in on “My Favorite Mistake,” after which Crow joked, “Step aside, Jessica Simpson!” Mayer’s rumored ex-girlfriend. A pointed take on “Redemption Day,” from her 1996 eponymous album, presaged a plaintive rendition of “Strong Enough,” from her 1994 debut, Tuesday Night Music Club. Crow then invited concert opener Marjorie Fair to jam on the James Gang rocker, “Walk Away,” setting the stage for a raucous sequence of songs to end her set. “If It Makes You Happy” and “Steve McQueen” riled up the audience. “Soak Up The Sun” and “Everyday Is A Winding Road” found everyone on their feet in a frenzy. And with that, Sheryl Crow got the Led out, plowing full-throttle through Led Zeppelin’s “Rock And Roll”.
Beginning with “Belief,” a track from his latest album, Continuum, John Mayer pursued a more subdued approach in his set. Songs like “Good Love Is On The Way” and “Waiting On The World To Change” demonstrated soulful momentum and groove, but the finest performances lay in songs more restrained. “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room” sounded as sultry as the title suggests. “Gravity,” arguably the most moving song of his set, illustrated the breadth of Mayer’s prowess on the guitar. His scorching solos sounded (and looked) like something straight out of the Clapton handbook. A clear crowd-favorite, “Why Georgia,” from his debut album, Room For Squares, closed out Mayer’s main set. After starting the encore with a questionable cover of the Police’s “Message In A Bottle,” Mayer hit full stride with his own “I’m Gonna Find Another You,” a fantastic song that finished off the night with a gut-wrenching guitar performance.
It’s evident that John Mayer takes his musicianship seriously, but he’s humble and human enough to have fun in the process. And so, in trying to refocus his attention after the practical joke during “Daughters,” Mayer candidly ran through the effort it took him in his mind to do so. “I’m thinking of power tools…of night classes involving cooking…and I’m back to thinking about a naked Sheryl Crow”.
posted by Donald Gibson at 4:39 PM
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