Review: John Mayer weaves magic once more in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH − Smoothly, soulfully sung songs with guitar sizzle in the middle.

That's the tried-and-true recipe John Mayer followed Thursday at PPG Paints Arena for another one of his shows fans will gush about for years.

His humor and handsomeness helped, too.

"Take off my shirt?" Mayer said with surprise, reciting back a request hurled at him from a fan near the front.

Then feigning disappointment, he added, "Is that what I am to you?"

Mayer said it's not the actual bare-chested guitar playing that would bother him, as much as how awkward and "fantastically stupid" anyone would look trying to take off their shirt on stage while trying to still look cool. And then there's the problem of where would he hang his shirt. And once shirtless, his posture would relax, and believe him, nobody wants to see what happens when gravity takes over, he playfully noted. "I like that I had to discuss this."

So his sleeved "Sob Rock" shirt, named for his latest album, stayed on the entire two-hour performance, where Mayer sounded committed to his vow to deliver a step-above-the-norm concert as an apology for postponing the show from Feb. 25.

All seemed forgiven from the nearly sold-out audience − a span of generations − who sang along for a handful of songs.

With an eight-man band plus two backup singers all aboard, "Last Train Home" launched the performance, priming everyone for a night of clean toned and expressive guitar wrangling with clear, and not overly amplified vocalizing.

"Belief," up next, brought a gentle funkiness with light conga, followed by "Who Says," where for the first of many times, Mayer switched from electric to acoustic guitar. He made ample use of his foot pedals, and mustered top-notch "guitar face" expressions on his solos that expertly straddled both flashiness and tastefulness.

"Waitin' on The Day" floated seamlessly into a bit of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."

"I Don't Trust Myself (With Loving You)" brought bluesy guitar before a final flourish of piercing rock and bluster.

The band took a break backstage, as Mayer stood alone acoustically strumming "Neon." His right thumb percussively whacked his thickest guitar string as his left hand swooped up and down the instrument's neck.

One of the band's two excellent side guitarists, David Ryan Harris, came back out to join Mayer on his commonly covered "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty, crooned slightly slower, and with 13,000 spectators singing along.

The full band returned for a mighty "I Guess I Just Feel Like," where Mayer's fiery guitar licks sought solace from a world laden in dishonesty and insanity.

"I wish this song would stop making sense," he lamented.

But he quickly brightened the mood again, saying it was time to play a pure fun one as he emulated an exaggerated happy face he admitted would make a good GIF if anyone was fast enough to snap a photo.

"This (song) is a sonic GIF," he said, setting up his hit "Your Body is a Wonderland," performed at the requisite pleasurably leisured pace, with the audience ready when Mayer suddenly thrust his microphone in their direction twice to sing a few lines.

With Mayer working his magic, it was easy to overlook the power-packed band he brought with him. Mayer gave guitarist Isaiah Sharkey room for a dazzling solo. Lenny Castro, Toto's percussionist on "Africa," provided subtle and flavorful hand drumming, and soothing maracas and triangle − yes, triangle − for "Stop This Train," which glided into an outro of Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound."

One of the band's two keyboardists, Greg Phillinganes, served as music director for Michael Jackson, and laughed when Mayer busted out a brief impersonation of The King of Pop's "Black or White."

Bassist Pino Palladino, from the John Mayer trio, savored his moments in a two-thirds cover of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me All" tucked seamlessly into Mayer's up-tempo and breezy "Til The Right One Comes."

"Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" was ignited by Mayer's lingering, rocking guitar notes. A slow, smoldering "Gravity" closed the set nicely, with lone encore "New Light" bringing the right amount of buoyancy as Mayer sang about "pushing 40 in the friend zone."

The handful of fans who showed up in Grateful Dead T-shirts might have wished the 44-year-old Mayer ended with a jam inspired by his work with spinoff band Dead & Company. They'll have to hope that band someday books another Star Lake show.

Mayer & Co. delivered a fine and memorable performance.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor for The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.