Friday, May 18, 2012

Mayer Hawthorne @ 1st Ave

I went to see Mayer Hawthorne at First Ave, and holy shit, he put on a good show. I missed the opening act so don't ask about it. The music playing between acts was old school 60's music like "It's My Party" and "Please Mr. Postman," which totally set the mood. He started with a fabulous lead-in from the County, his very talented band. The first song was "You Called Me" which was rousing and got everyone in the mood. This man was sexy, fun, and inviting - the perfect concoction for a Friday night! The County were in grey 3-piece suits, and Mayer wore a black velvet blazer, black bow tie, and red hi-top sneakers. Plus a faux-hawk - lovely! He had the crowd following his call and response all night, and his band absolutely earned every hoot and holler. The crowd illustrated his unique following - young, old, hip, suburban...his "old school R&B charm" has seduced a number of Minneapolitans. As it should! There was a Brazilian beat interlude within which Mayer taught the crowd how to sing, and it made a wonderful halfway point. Plus he took a "photo shoot" moment which he promised to tweet - and I will post when it is available - and offered an opportunity for us all to take all the pictures we wanted. It was so brilliant! I took a great number of pictures, many of which were blurry but will hopefully satisfy your curiosity. The show was all together well timed, sexy, quality, and more than satisfactory. We were in the balcony but still swayed to his direction. My favorite moment was the "Henny and Ginger Ale" finale to the encore set. As my favorite song on the album, I was instantly happy, and it allowed for another sing-along, plus it was a spotlight for all the band members to show off. It was the perfect end to a great concert! I highly recommend Mayer Hawthorne for the quality of the show. Enjoy where you can!!
UPDATE: Check out the pic he took! http://instagr.am/p/Kz2tA-xa0R/