Oh That Was So Real...(Updated!)

Getting to see JM play Jones Beach is always a full circle moment for me, mostly because that's the hometown venue I grew up in. It's a music homebase in a way, and that makes each show there so much more special. There's also the damp salty air that frizzes your hair and the smell of low-tide, but I might appreciate that more than most.

After spending some time in guitar world and monitor land on the backstage tour that afternoon, JM headed out in a Ben & Jerry's truck to visit the tailgaters and pass out free Milk & Cookies. Next time John Mayer asks you if you want some free ice cream, make sure to reply with "please pass the spoon!" because that stuff was deeeelish.

I say it after every show, but this was my favorite performance of the tour. After the early back to back set of Clarity and Georgia (with a Jimi Thing intro, WHAT?!), I knew we were in for a throwback of a night.

Heartbreak Warfare was a 'sing-your-heart-out-along'; an anthem. "I swear to god we're gonna get it right if you just lay your bullshit down." Yep, exactly. Then came the 'Part 2' Perfectly Lonely, right before John asked if it had started raining. It had, and so began the impromptu version of Covered In Rain that actually stopped the drops. Big props to the new band members for learning that one on the spot.

Raspberry Beret made me realize how many of you need to go buy some Prince records (ha!) until Good Love! swept in and counter acted the earlier acknowledged heartache. Half of My Heart (and Don't Stop Believing) was one of my favorite moments of the night. The Jones Beach choir sang in a beautiful delayed unison and kept the song going ("oh oh oh ohhhhh") while John made his way to front of house, getting a little closer to the crowd. He surprised everyone with the best acoustic encore I could have asked for (ok, well the best acoustic encore I could ask for might include 3 additional songs).

I think that was the first time I've heard Wonderland (minus Storytellers) in maybe 3 years? It's always going to be a reminder of how long John has been playing music, and how he's grown as an artist while his fans have grown with him. I think of it as this really beautiful moment of nostalgia, and growing up.

I had gotten a sneak peek of the setlist before the show, so I knew he was going to bust out In Your Atmosphere, but it still did not prepare me for chills that the first few chords of the song always bring. "I'm gonna steer clear, I like my life in New York City right here..." summed up everything, until he went into Jeff Buckley's So Real, which, well let's put it this way, in the words of Ina, "LA Song into Buckley? Oh my god I'm gonna die", pretty much killed me.

When JM joined the band on the main stage again, I was waiting for the magic of Edge of Desire to take over, but was pleasantly surprised when John decided to sing the lyrics of Heart of Life as an intro. That song can just fix a whole lot of things.

Jones Beach, you were amazing last week. Thanks for sharing that one with me and the entire Mick team.

-L

You can download the entire show here, courtesy of the Z-Man.

I took these at the satellite stage during the encore...