Last Friday (July 16), John Mayer finally dropped his highly anticipated, ‘80s-inspired throwback record, Sob Rock – a release that was preceded by the unveiling of his much-teased Roxy Pink PRS Silver Sky.
To celebrate the release of his first album since 2017's The Search for Everything, the undisputed king of blues-pop has taken his new-look electric guitar on the road with him for a series of live TV performances.
Appearing on both The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Today Show, Mayer and his all-star house band, featuring trusted session legend Isaiah Sharkey, delivered the goods in spades, offering up a handful of exquisite arrangements and delicious, to-die-for guitar tones.
First up on Mayer’s live agenda was a first-ever runout for Sob Rock track Shouldn’t Matter But It Does on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – an acoustic-driven reflection in the mold of Mayer’s most successful pop tracks, fleshed out with Sharkey’s space-y, reverb-drenched licks.
The folks over at The Today Show were treated to a Sob Rock double-helping, with Mayer and co first giving 2018’s smash hit New Light a spin. The Roxy Pink Silver Sky steals the show, at first playing host to a series of rhythmic single-note licks, before Mayer engages the gain for the track’s silky smooth solo.
Sob Rock’s lead single, Last Train Home, was the third and final track to be played during the Continuum mastermind’s first post-album-release runout.
As expected, the track’s tight, compressed lead lines and oversized synth hooks sound as good live as they do on the studio version, with Mayer’s immaculate phrasing decorating the arrangement with blues-note bends and pentatonic licks.
It’s the second time Last Train Home has been played live, having made its first-ever TV appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in June. That performance was also the first time we saw the then-unreleased Roxy Pink Silver Sky in action.
If this is a sign of things to come, John Mayer’s 2022 US tour, which was recently announced via Instagram, looks set to be one long masterclass in Mayer-isms.
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