90 minutes of John Mayer

Well, that is precisely what I got. And, I didn't even stay till the end. It was that disappointing.

Some unknown, Kathleen Edwards, opened for Mayer. I don't know who the fuck she is. And I really don't care. She was, frankly, quite unmemorable. She sings very well, but her music and lyrics leave something to be desired. They just don't speak to me. But to her credit, she tried to have more of a rapor with the audience than John did.

My friend and I left early durring Kathleen's performance, to wander around and chat some more. When she left the stage, we returned to our seats.

At about 8:45pm, John hit the stage. He didn't talk to the audience right away. Some artists go into their set for a few songs and then start talking and creating that connection with their audience. Not in the case here. John barely said "boo" to Edmonton. He said a few things, but he didn't create that relationsip - that connection - that makes the whole show worthwhile.

Admittedly, John is fantastic with his guitar. He was showing off all sorts of fancy playing and his band was fantastic. Lots of nice improvised pieces that opened into some good songs. He's comfortable enough, he can take risks, with his music and they pay off.

But, what makes a concert special is the connection a performer makes with their audience. If I just want to hear your music, I can stay home and listen to your record. No offense, but I need more if I am paying $90 + dollars a ticket to see you playing live. You don't need to give us intimate details of your life, just telling us the meaning behind some of your songs or something you did today. You know, give us a little personality.

I was so disappointed, my friend and I left the building while he was playing his encore. After such a let down, I wanted to not be stuck in traffic waiting to get out of the parking lot. It would've just stung more.

Funny thing, about over half way through John's set, someone came through our row (in a suit) and was obviously coming in late and sat down. I didn't need to think about that too much to realize, he was an accountant. Anyone coming late to something, wearing a suit, on a Saturday on April 28th couldn't be anything else. He's an accountant. My life flashed before my eyes.