A sea of bobbing heads filled TD Garden on Sunday night as John Mayer powered through a diverse setlist wrought with blaring guitar solos and heartfelt moments.
As people found their seats, the stage was set with numerous cords and pedals, hinting that Mayer had a lot of guitar playing planned. Expectations were met when Mayer ended almost every song with long improvisations, showing off his guitar roots.
The packed venue roared as Mayer took the stage, backed by his full band and kicked off the show with “Queen of California.”
“Welcome to ‘The Search for Everything,’” Mayer said when the song ended, referencing his new album dropping Friday.
Though a smart choice for an opening number with its feel-good energy and well-known status, the structure for the show fell short.
Mayer followed the same plan as previous shows on “The Search for Everything” tour and split it into four portions: full band, acoustic, trio and a reprise of the full band.
It’s an interesting idea, in theory, but the format actually ended up damaging the momentum of an otherwise musically sound concert.
Each time a chapter ended, there was a set change taking up two full minutes, causing the crowd to sit restlessly in the dark while band platforms or props were rolled on and off stage. The mood was almost lost in these moments.
Luckily, the sets helped each chapter feel like its own mini-concert, making the odd ordering work a little better.
The full band moments featured water-like lighting on the stage surface and breezy Los Angeles scenes on the screen behind them, while the stage transformed into a serene Japanese garden for the acoustic songs.
The staging for the trio was the simplest when it came to set and lighting design, but it was also the most effective. It allowed for the focus to be on the wildly talented musicians and their chemistry, which could be felt throughout the venue.
Separating the mellow acoustic songs from the rest, thought, created a lull in the middle of the show.
Still, the crowd was brought back with Mayer’s always brilliant guitar playing, even during the acoustic set as he did a brilliant rendition of “Neon” that trumped the 2001 album version of the song and featured an impressive guitar solo that somehow managed to mimic a bass solo.
The chapter idea also allowed for a superior section to outshine the rest of the show.
The John Mayer Trio — consisting of Mayer on guitar/vocals, Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums — toured and performed together between 2005 and 2009, but left fans without the bluesy chemistry of the band since. In January, however, Mayer hinted at a reunion through an Instagram photo of the three in the studio together.
But the stage is where the real magic between these musicians comes to life. This chapter of Sunday’s concert was unequivocally the highlight of the show, kicking off with the brilliant “Vultures.”
Unfortunately, the trio only played three songs together before returning to more full band songs.
While the order of the setlist was questionable, there was no denying the fact that Mayer plays with pure passion, no matter the style or age of a song.
He seemed emotionally invested in every track, whether it was “Emoji of a Wave” off the upcoming album or “Why Georgia” from his 2001 album “Room for Squares.”
Those emotions came to the surface when he addressed the crowd during the middle of the final set.
“I have no earthly ability to put into words how thankful I am you guys are here tonight,” he said. “At some point, each of you guys was probably a Mayer defender. Thank you guys for holding on to me.”
Those old fans were rewarded for sticking with Mayer when he pulled out “Gravity” during the encore, a classic song of his that is always a pleasure to hear live.
“This is more fun than it has ever been before,” Mayer said. That much was certainly evident.
