John Mayer - Where The Light Is: Live In Los Angeles (2008)

Where The Light Is: Live In Los Angeles is a unique live album from John Mayer. It was recorded on December 8, 2007 at The Nokia Theater - since renamed The Peacock Theater - and released in the summer of 2008. It's a double CD that runs for more than two hours.

The gig was split into three separate sets highlighting the different bands Mayer employed to show off his multiple musical personas. He opened with a brief, five-song, all acoustic set featuring two guitarists from his touring band. Songs included nice versions of "Neon," "Daughters," and a very cool cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin" that was released as a single and went double platinum in Australia and gold in the United Kingdom.

The second set of seven blues-oriented songs was performed by The John Mayer Trio featuring Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums. Their moment in the sun isn't quite as satisfying as their earlier, critically acclaimed and tighter live album, Try! John Mayer Trio Live In Concert that the power trio released in 2005, but it's close.

The entire second CD is devoted to the nine-piece, pop-rock John Mayer Band who shined on "Waiting for the World to Change," "I Don't Need No Doctor," "Gravity," and "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" plus five more.

At no point during this lengthy concert can a listener say that Mayer mailed in his performance. He began his career as a pop-oriented singer-songwriter who looked like he was headed for a successful mainstream career, but he quickly became restless and followed his creative impulses. The live trio CD was his first attempt at expanding his repertoire and his studio work matured too with his third disc, Continuum.

Widening his palette even more, Mayer even did a stretch as a touring member of Dead & Company, the reorganized band formed by the surviving members of the original Grateful Dead. His work with the fanatically followed jam band came after this Los Angeles gig, so its influence isn't reflected here.

Where The Light Is has been available in many formats. In addition to this CD there's a vinyl LP release. It's also been available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download. It debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

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