John Mayer Goes Heavy On Deep Cuts In Pittsburgh

John Mayer told fans his first solo tour would include deep cuts and he continued to make good on the promise Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Mayer dusted off a pair of songs he hadn’t played since 2010 as well as one that last saw action in 2017 during the fourth stop of his mostly-acoustic trek.

The guitarist kicked off Saturday’s 24-song concert with oldie “Neon” and Born And Raised gem “The Age Of Worry.” Mayer then surprised fans by busting out “War Of My Life” for the first time since August 21, 2010. The song appeared on John Mayer’s 2009 studio album, Battle Studies, which was also represented in the setlist by the “Heartbreak Warfare” that followed as well as “Who Says” and “Edge Of Desire” later in the evening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-1Z47-V9kM&ab_channel=ExperienceWonder

After opening with an acoustic guitar set, Mayer moved over to piano to work Sob Rock’s “New Light” into “You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me.” The latter was featured on 2017’s The Search For Everything, an album that also includes “Changing,” which closed the piano interlude.

John Mayer returned to acoustic guitar for the next segment of the concert. He played “Stop This Train” and “In Your Atmosphere” before going all the way back to his debut 1999 EP Inside Wants Out for “Love Soon.” Mayer told the crowd he’d play as much of the song as he remembered and nearly made it through a tune he wrote about a girl he met in an AOL chat room in 1996 last played on September 1, 2010. The guitarist talked about how his early songs showed what he could do “chordally” and now he likes four-chord songs.

The Pittsburgh stop came one day after St. Patrick’s Day giving Mayer an opportunity to break out the Room For Squares number that shares the same name with the holiday. “St. Patrick’s Day” hadn’t been performed by the guitarist since July 26, 2017 and gave way to staple “Slow Dancing In A Burning Room.”

John Mayer continued the show with his rare double-neck guitar for performances of “Dear Marie,” “If I Ever Get Around To Living” and “Edge Of Desire.” The Connecticut native said farewell to the Pittsburgh crowd with a “Born And Raised” and “Gravity” encore. Scotiabank Arena in Toronto hosts the tour tonight.

Setlist