John Mayer Performs ‘Born & Raised’ Album At ‘Rise For The River’ Benefit

John Mayer launched his third on final “Rise For The River” benefit concert on Sunday at Pine Creek Lodge in Livingston, Montana by playing his 2012 album, Born & Raised, in its entirety. Mayer was accompanied by drummer Aaron Sterling for both the Born & Raised set and performances of additional originals and choice covers that followed.

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The three-concert series was put together to benefit Park County Community Foundation’s SW Montana Flood Relief Fund. Proceeds will help those affected by the historic flooding of the Yellowstone River this past June. Mayer teamed with Bob Weir at the first Rise For The River concert on August 8 and paired with comedian Dave Chappelle for the second benefit on August 14.

Born & Raised marked Mayer’s fifth studio album. While John billed the show as solo acoustic, the longtime Montana resident “bent the rules a little bit” by enlisting his dear friend Aaron Sterling. John and Aaron performed the Americana-tinged LP from front-to-back in the order the 13 songs appear on Born & Raised. Sterling utilized a stripped-down drum kit and Mayer told stories throughout.

“Queen Of California” opened the set as it does Born & Raised. Next came the “Age Of Worry” and Mayer’s first “Shadow Days” since 2013 as per Setlist.FM. The pair continued on with just the fourth “Speak For Me” in the past eight years during a frame filled with “songs that sound good played in the mountains.” Next came “Something Like Olivia” and the album’s title track along with “If I Ever Get Around To Living” and “Love Is A Verb.” The latter has also been extremely rare since Mayer’s tours in support of Born & Raised.

John Mayer told the crowd “something that might get [him] in trouble” after performing “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967,” when he revealed the song “is soon to be a major motion picture,” adding “it’s true, it’s true, it’s going to be a movie.” A take on “Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey” followed before the duo ended the Born & Raised portion of the night with “A Face To Call Home,” a reprise of its title track and bonus track “Fool To Love You.” Last night’s “Born & Raised (Reprise)” was a live debut, while “Fool To Love You” hadn’t been played publicly dating back to 2013.

Mayer and Sterling kicked off a run of “Other Fine Selections” with “Who Says” off 2009’s Battle Studies. The pair then turned to John’s 2013 LP Paradise Valley for “Waitin’ On The Day.” The evening’s lone Grateful Dead cover came next as John and Aaron worked “Friend Of The Devil” into Mayer original “Roll It On Home.” A huge surprise followed when the guitarist broke out Bob Dylan’s “Buckets Of Rain.” John Mayer last performed “Buckets Of Rain” in 2019 at The Budokan in Tokyo after initially debuting the cover during a 2013 tour stop in Amsterdam. Sunday’s main set closed with Paradise Valley standout “Dear Marie” before the pair presented “In The Blood” from 2017’s The Search For Everything as the encore.

A replay of the livestream can be purchased via nugs.net. Donate directly to the SWMT Relief Fund here. Watch pro-shot video of last night’s “Queen Of California” opener below:

Setlist

Source: JamBase.com