I discovered John Mayer two years ago. It was spring 2017 and I just finished my first two quarters of college and sat in my childhood bedroom, reminiscing about all the memories I made with my new friends. Outside my window I heard my next-door neighbors doing the dishes, cars zooming down the street, and my parents talking, while cooking downstairs.
As I idly sat, I realized how odd it was to come home for spring break and relax without the pressure to do something exciting. I had such an adventurous start to the year. The last eight months were filled with so much growth that it felt good to just be present with myself. At that moment, the perfect Spotify suggestion came up on my phone: John Mayer's newest album titled, The Search for Everything.
I love discovering a song whose lyrics seem to describe my feelings perfectly. The lyrics of "Changing" felt as if Mayer wrote the song about me, a young adult, who is figuring out her place in the world:
"I am not done changing Out on the run, changing I may be old and I may be young But I am not done changing."
Since then, Mayer has been on my radar and it was not a mistake to go to his show earlier this week in Sacramento. I like to believe it was meant-to-be because his last show of his North American Tour just happened to me in the city I was born and raised in (no pun intended, but in all seriousness, Mayer's lyrics to "Born and Raised" also hit hard).
Mayer's concert was full of musicianship, ranging from his own masterful guitar and vocal skills, to all the other musicians' skills, who shared the stage with him.
I expected Mayer to be constantly interacting with the crowd and cracking jokes because of his hilarious sense of humor, which is clearly visible through his Instagram posts and show, Current Mood. Although he occasionally joked around in-between songs, he spent most of the concert with his eyes closed, smoothly walking and playing his guitar. The concert was not frivolous or washed with excess flashing lights. It was just how you would want to spend a Tuesday night -- sitting and relaxing with a glass of wine, while listening to the soft voice of Mayer singing, "Just keep me where the light is," because the day after Monday is always the hardest.
Mayer, himself, has not had the easiest of days. He broke a bunch of Hollywood hearts and is still haunted by his infamous 2010 interview with Rolling Stone. However, it seems that he is ready to move beyond his past self and settle down.
The lyrics to his newest single, "Carry Me Away," pointedly show he is finished with soul-searching and is ready to be carried away by a force bigger than him -- something that can show him life is something more than just showbiz:
"Been way too safe inside my bubble, oh
Take me out and keep me up all night
Let me live on the wilder side of life
Carry me away..."
The screen behind him showed mountainous scenery enveloped in a sky being taken over with blue hour. The sky's colors shifted from pink to purple, lighting up the audience swaying side-to-side with their phone's flashlights in the air. I felt as if I was coming back to myself and my senses, learning what it is like to be in the moment. Comfortable with the present, but also willing to strive for whatever else is out there that might be strange, or awkward.
It was a grounding experience that was far more meaningful than the amount of times I would listen to Mayer's music at home through my earphones. The emotion in his soft voice as he sang in different pitches was so distinct that I could not help myself, but smile and cry.
On his recent Instagram post, Mayer also reminisced about the end of his tour:
"You [fans] came, and you sang, and danced and wiped away tears and took inventory of what you had and what you’d lost, and all that’s left to discover, and I was thinking the same things right along with you, every night."
John, you carried me away and let's just say, I am ready for whatever is next.
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