Środa 20 Paź 2010, 3:10
Tue 19 Oct – MAZDA2 Presents: Mayer Hawthorne & The County / The Heavy
I don't think there are many words to describe just how amazing tonight was. I had the utmost pleasure to see Mayer in March when he came to the Paradise and was blown away, but this took it to a whole new level.
The show started with Gordon Voidwell, who did a great job considering he had 1/4 of his band members with him. He brought the energy up and did a great set. I do have to say that a lot of the songs blended together though and sounded a lot alike. He was great though.
Next came The Heavy. Now, I had only known them from their Kia Sorento commercials… which, honestly, got old fast. However, their set was AMAZING and the lead singer was in your face - LITERALLY. I got nose to nose with him not one but TWO times and I think it's fair to say that a lot of the first row got his sweat on ourselves. The energy was crazy from him and it put me in an awesome mood. Their songs ranged from more soul numbers to straight rock songs, which was really nice for someone who likes all types of music. The band even came equipped with a brass section, which was also a nice touch! All in all, they really brought the mood up and I REALLY enjoyed them.
Then came Mayer. What can we say about Mayer? He puts on an amazing performance every time. He's smooth, likable, and has an amazing voice. He did a wide variety of songs: a bunch off of A Strange Arrangement, a couple of new ones on an album he said is due next year, and a few favorites like Pharrell's "Beautiful" and Snoop Dogg's "Gangsta Luv". (He also collaborated with Snoop to do a G-Mix of this song!). They also played the amazing Topher Mohr's Ruthless, which was also played back in March. It's an incredible song - listen to it if you haven't already. The set ended with a high energy version of "The Ills" that had everyone in the crowd jumping up and down.
Now, last time Mayer was at The Paradise, he did an encore with "When I Said Goodbye". I was expecting this again. However, as soon as The County left the stage, the crew began rapidly disassembling the stage and setting up for the one and only… DJ JAZZY JEFF. I knew he was to be there that night, but I honestly did not even grasp the absolute EPIC situation that was about to go down. In no time, we were graced with his presence - it was an honor to say the least. With him came Skillz, who was extremely entertaining as well and kept the audience hyped. By this time, 3/4 of the audience had cleared out, but that meant that we'd have more room to dance. And dance we did! Jazz played everything from Biz Markee to Drake to Jay-Z to Nirvana to Kanye to Deee-Lite to Bon Jovi to Journey… you name it, he spun it. And he spun for an hour and a half. Honestly… one of the best nights of my life. One of the best shows I've ever been to. It really shows you that you don't need a huge venue and crazy effects and costumes to kick ass.
Went to this show with somewhat of a cold. A sore throat was definitely present. Now, I sound like a 50-year-old man who has smoked a pack a day since he was 12. I was covered in sweat for a good portion of the night. I almost had my bag taken away by one of the Paradise staff. I was hit in the head (though the guy was very apologetic). I spent $40 on a cab to my car because I would have caught the last train and spent 2 hours trying to get home. But was it worth it? HELL. YEAH. I wish the night had never ended.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX-N9rnyfgE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-zSN3zDdmA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI1IDUM5Hig
Mayer Hawthorne Gordon Voidwell DJ Jazzy Jeff The Heavy Skillz