Last night the missus and I went to the John Mayer show with Andrew, Lyndsey, Mike & April. We caught JM when he came through about 6 months ago with Sheryl Crow and after the show pretty much decided we would go to every West Palm show he does for the rest of our lives.

Ben Folds opened and seemed to have a ton of fans in the audience. Which makes no sense to me since I don't think he's very good. But that's just my informed, professional opinion. Every song sounded pretty much the same - droning vocals, stacatto 8th's on the piano and a half-time bridge. Zzzzzz....... Although he did try to wake us up by dropping 27 f-bombs in 30 seconds during "Rockin' the Suburbs".

Andrew and I were talking before the show about what a guy like John Mayer does all day when he's not on the road. When the show started, the answer became obvious - Bowflex. The guy had literally doubled the size of his arms since we last saw him 6 months ago. They're probably not real...

It was the best live sound mix I've ever heard (just like the last time we saw JM) and the band was just unbelievable. Sound Advice is the place to see him - you're outside, under the stars, sitting on the lawn on a blanket, chilling, watching one of the greatest musicians on the planet do his thing. He improvisations on guitar are effortless and mind-blowing - it's like he's married to his guitars. The difference between seeing JM shred live as opposed to Satriani, Johnson or Van Halen is that he's got something those guys don't - soul. I really appreciate the obvious work that goes into his live performances. The band was insanely tight and the tones of every instrument were flawless. It's obvious that he doesn't take his audience for granted and takes their trust seriously.

A great night, great set and a great vibe. He's on my very short list of artists/bands who are unmissable.

There were only 3 things about the whole show that bugged me:

He was obviously baked at the start of the show (If you're a home-schooled Christian, "baked" means "high" on marijuana) and had the red, dopey eyes to prove it. It didn't affect his playing and he seemed to sober up as the show went on.

He's always struck me as the kind of guy who's a little bit in love with himself. You know, the kind who list their turn-ons as "mirrors and other reflective surfaces". To show off his new guns, he played the whole night in a wifebeater - which came across as a bit lame. I mean, I walk around with a pair of rocket launchers in my sleeves but you don't see me leading worship in a tankini...

He didn't play my favorite song ("Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"). AGAIN.

Belief
No Such Thing
I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)
Good Love is On the Way
Neon
Dreaming With A Broken Heart
Waiting on the World to Change
Vultures
Bigger Than My Body
I Don't Need No Doctor (Ray Charles cover)
Why Georgia
Gravity

3x5
I'm Gonna Find Another You