John Mayer Leaves Fans Wanting More After A Two-Night Stint In Chicago

*Photos by Josh Druding from night one at the United Center | April 28, 20222*

“I’m John, you’re Chicago, and I love you very much” said John Mayer as he introduced himself to a sold out crowd in Chicago Friday night. The singer-songwriter and guitarist closed out a two-night stint at the United Center as he nears the end of his tour supporting his acclaimed 2021 album, Sob Rock.

Mayer opened the night with the album’s lead track, “Last Train Home”, including a booming drum intro illuminated only by the flashing of a stage-width “Sob Rock” neon sign. The 19-song set continued as a three-part act, beginning with a full band ensemble, followed by an acoustic set and then back to the full band.

Mayer played a mix of hits from his 21-year career, including “Gravity”, “New Light”, “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” and “Your Body is a Wonderland”, which he tee’d up by telling fans “I have an on again off again relationship with this song, and I’m on again”. He appealed to diehard fans with rare live performances of favorites like “Waitin’ on the Day” and “If I Ever Get Around to Living”, which he describes as “one of my favorite songs”. Mayer also squeezed in four covers, including enchanting acoustic renditions of both Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” and Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”.

This tour is by no means a greatest hits tour, though. This is a Sob Rock tour. Mayer and company played five of the 10 tracks on the album, including “Wild Blue”, “Carry Me Away” and “Till The Right One Comes”. Just short of 40 minutes, Sob Rock is a concept album that pays homage to 80’s rock, featuring everything from punchy synths to reverb drums while infusing Mayer’s signature guitar tone and warm vocals. The album’s release was also supported by a marketing campaign saturated with oversized jackets and neon colors. Everything was intentionally designed to infuse a touch of humor and tone that suggests we shouldn’t take things too seriously.

Musically, however, Sob Rock is an album Mayer took very seriously, and it's arguably his most masterfully crafted album to date. The production quality is at its best and displays evidence that Mayer had a hand in every aspect of making the album. Whether it was Mayer handpicking snare drum tones or playing bass on three of the album’s tracks, each element of every song held equal weight and was thoughtfully considered.

Supporting Mayer on this tour is an all-star band, who Mayer described Friday night as “the most insane band.” The line-up includes fellow guitarists David Ryan Harris and Isaiah Sharkey, legendary bass guitarist and fellow member of the John Mayer Trio, Pino Palladino, Aaron Sterling on drums, and former Michael Jackson keyboardist, Greg Phillinganes.

While Mayer is possibly the greatest guitarist of our generation, that doesn’t mean he’s not willing to share the spotlight on stage. Notable moments from Thursday night included a cover of Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones” sung by Harris. Mayer even passed the lead guitar baton to Isaiah Sharkey multiple times throughout the night, including during “Your Body is a Wonderland”.

Still, there was no shortage of opportunities for Mayer to remind fans of how he’s a master of his craft. The night was full of extended songs where Mayer let loose on his signature PRS Silver Sky and other guitars from his expansive collection. One standout moment was actually a solo acoustic performance of “Neon” from his 2001 debut album Room for Squares, which was preceded by “3x5” from the same album.

Even though Mayer managed to play at least one song from almost all of his albums, the exception only being Heavier Things, the many extended jam sessions throughout the night forced the band to cut their setlist two songs short of Thursday’s 21-song set. Pressed for time to meet Chicago’s 11PM curfew, Mayer had time for one encore performance, closing the night with “New Light” from Sob Rock. Leaving fans wanting more is pretty par for the course at a John Mayer concert.

Click below to listen to our curated playlist from both nights (excluding some covers):

Mayer has only five more dates left on his Sob Rock tour before he hits the road with Dead & Company again this June. For a list of remaining tour dates and tickets, click here. See below for more photos from Mayer’s first Chicago show.