We’ll spare you our rambling assessments of the stop-the-world spectacle that was Michael Jackson’s memorial today at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and bring you one of the highlights instead: John Mayer’s tribute performance of Human Nature, complete with dramatic cutaway shots of MJ’s coffin.
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We applaud you, John, for keeping the stroke-victim winces to a minimum and tearing off one hell of a performance. It may not have been the dam-breaking tear-jerker moment of the day (Paris Jackson wins that honor, no contest whatsoever), but it was a touching one, and a beautiful memorial as well.
R.I.P. Michael.
Man, I thought the Stevie Wonder performance was the best.
Agree Fernando. Stevie is always amazing. I think his words, though he said little, were spot on.
Stevie was great, but the performance made me want to chew on a shotgun.
Tho not my favorite performance of the day, I loved Stevie going into “They Won’t Go When I Go”; I grew up with that song and it’s dirgeful feel. Didn’t expect it but it was my highlight of his performance. The beauty of Mayer’s performance was how lovely it was in its subtleness. Perhaps there was also an air of low expectations from the tatted-up, Jessica Simpson-dating white guy who makes fugly geetar faces (compared to the expectations of, say, Usher) so the quality and grace of his performance somewhat amplified and even blew folks away. I’m not a Mayer-hater so all I was was pleased by him. It was just the right delicate collision of technical skill and honor.
I’m glad to be a “Mayer-hater” lol I just don’t like his music or voice but I do think he can play the guitar very well, can’t take that away from him, I thought his performance was good. I really think Stevie Wonder’s “I Never Dreamed You Leave In Summer” was such a perfect song choice, that song is just beautiful and I didn’t think Ushers performance was too shabby either, a little tear jerky, going down to touch the coffin and all but not too shabby at all. I just had to watch the circus, ya know cause it was on EVERY major station anyway.
[...] The camera may like Slash more… But I’ll be damned if Mayer doesn’t blow him off the stage. Goddamn, that dude can play. [...]