John Mayer Jams On Grateful Dead, Bob Marley & The Police For Instagram Followers

Guitarist John Mayer sure knows his way around social media. While Instagram just launched a live video feature about six weeks ago, he’s made the most of it including earlier today. Mayer showed off his skills during a solo jam session that saw him cover the Grateful Dead and The Police.

John used his Super Eagle guitar made by Paul Reed Smith and mentioned he brings the axe with him everywhere. Early in the solo jam session one of his followers asks about the Grateful Dead and Mayer responds by jamming on “Dark Star,” noting “it’s hard to play that song alone.” He then shows off the guitar’s “pedal steel mode” as he plays “Althea.” He later riffs on “Ripple” and around the 17-minute mark he improvises on the chord progression for The Police’s “Wrapped Around Your Finger.” A few minutes later he lays into “Could You Be Loved” by Bob Marley. The session spans nearly 40 minutes in total.

Watch most of the jam session thanks to Gene Tan: