Hubbie and I drove three hours to Tampa this past weekend to celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary with Mr. John Mayer. He was playing at Tampa’s gorgeous outdoor amphitheater with Phillip Phillips. We decided to book a room at the because it was right across the street from the venue AND we would get the chance to play a little blackjack! Yay!
I always make the mistake of starting at the slot machines. While I lost $20 in 2 minutes on some quarter game, Hubbie was having a good ol’ time at the blackjack table. I joined him and we both ended up winning 200 bucks! I always say that gambling is so much fun, but only if you win!
We met our friend Tim for dinner at the yummy Council Oak restaurant right inside the casino. It was soooo delicious. I had the red snapper special while the boys had steaks. We also shared a plate of oysters and a bottle of red. I was so ready for JM after that awesome pre-game dinner!
We arrived just in time to hear Phillip sing his smash hit, “Home.” He was on fire. He was pumped. I wish I had it on video, but I had to just experience the moment. There was a short intermission before John came on. After grabbing a John Mayer T-shirt, tote bag (I can’t resist a tote bag!), and a couple of dark beers on draft, we were ready to party!
I wore my John Mayer-inspired neck piece that night. My father-in-law brought it back from Nicaragua for me and I was excited to wear it to the concert.
John came on stage and kicked everything off with “Queen of California.” I can honestly say I enjoyed every single song choice. He mostly played songs from his two new albums, Paradise Valley and Born & Raised.
He threw in a few classics like “Vultures,” “Gravity,” “Neon,” and this one:
There was also a cover of “Don’t Stop Believing.” Our seats were awesome (floor and center) and I even got to see John play the guitar behind his back! My favorite parts of all JM concerts are when he just wails on that guitar. I’m sure my husband is sick of me going on and on about how talented he is on the guitar and and what an amazing songwriter he is, but I know my girl Katy Perry agrees!
My ears were ringing and my throat was soar from singing all night long, but it was so worth it. And I’m ready to do it all again when John comes to Jacksonville! He JUST added Jax to his fall tour dates on Tuesday, December 10th. He wasn’t doing any media meet-and-greets this time, so I may have to save up and make a donation to John’s awesome veterans charity so I can hang out with him again. We need a new pic, don’t you think?
You can read all about my love for John Mayer HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.