Live Review: John Mayer

John Mayer had me hooked way back in 2001 with his debut, Room For Squares. The renegade high school hater just seemed to scratch a rebellious itch in me. But like many summer romances we found ourselves drifting apart, promising to stay in touch despite the distance, until one day, quite unannounced, you wake up to find 12 years have passed and they've moved on to Katy Perry.

This is the first time this reviewer has seen Mayer and it comes as a great relief to know that the guitar aficionado certainly knows how to put on a hell of a show. Mayer is one of the most charming performers this reviewer has witnessed in a long time. His audience patter was a master class in how it's done, and though there was a certain level of smarm it was difficult not to get caught up in the spectacle of it all.

In truth, an arena didn't quite seem like the right kind of venue for Mayer's brooding tunes. However, after seeing the ease with which he had the crowd roaring on its feet – from his opening song, Queen Of California – it was clear this is where he belongs. It was a strong and varied set, swinging between full band numbers such as I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You) to the acoustic (and tremendously crowd-pleasing) Your Body Is A Wonderland, with Edge Of Desire one of the highlights of the night. These are not easy songs to play, but somehow Mayer manages to make these technically difficult tunes look effortless. That was really the theme of the night; Mayer made performing look like the simplest, most entertaining thing in the world, and the crowd loved every minute of it. Altogether an unexpectedly exceptional performance.