John Mayer goes nearly everywhere during Indy show

John Mayer conveyed his comfort level Sunday night at Klipsch Music Center by playing “No Such Thing,” his career-breakthrough single of 2002, as a mere excerpt inside of "Why Georgia" from the same era.

After rocketing to fame and harvesting seven Grammy Awards, singer-songwriter Mayer meandered through celebrity PR disasters (the work of a "loudmouth playboy," as summed up recently by The Chicago Tribune).

Today, he's liberated from expectations of perfection while still making new music and attracting an estimated audience of 20,000 at Klipsch.

Mayer actually mentioned from the stage he's not obligated to play eight specific hits every show.

On Sunday, the final date of a North American tour, signature tunes "Daughters," "Your Body is a Wonderland" and "Love on the Weekend" — the lead single from 2017 album "The Search for Everything" — were left off the program.

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Mayer still delivered a full-service show of varied sounds, mentioning he's grateful to move past Top 40 status. "All that crap is through," he said.

"Grateful" is a perfect word choice. Mayer reframed his career by joining Grateful Dead members last summer in a new roadshow sensation known as Dead and Co.

His side gig of playing songs popularized by Jerry Garcia influenced Sunday's concert during the second half of "Queen of California," when Mayer squeezed liquid guitar tones associated with the late Grateful Dead icon.

This type of solo can be more structured and effective than the Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired rambles from earlier in Mayer's career.

Sonically, "Queen of California" resembles a Laurel Canyon dream, which generally defines the approach of Sunday's supporting act, Dawes.

Mayer didn't shy away from blues-rock moments, but the show proved most interesting when he and his band explored stylish dance-rock material reminiscent of two great music films of the 1980s: Sting's "Bring on the Night" and the Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense."

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Sting and the Talking Heads assembled all-star rosters of guest musicians for those projects, and Mayer is on the road with heavyweights of his own.

Drummer Steve Jordan (known for his work on "Late Night with David Letterman" and as a member of Keith Richards' X-Pensive Winos) bass player Pino Palladino (who toured with the Who) keyboard player Larry Goldings and guitarists David Ryan Harris and Isaiah Sharkey helped Mayer achieve lift-off on the night's opening tandem of "Helpless" (featuring a snippet of the Rolling Stones' "Miss You") and "Moving On and Getting Over."

"Moving On" included borrowed lyrics from Bryan Adams' “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," which Mayer continued to play with after the song ended.

Later, Harris sang the opening segment of Prince's "The Beautiful Ones" a cappella as an intro to "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" — which showcased Mayer at his most cosmopolitan.

During a trio segment with Jordan and Palladino, Mayer folded Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels" into a fiery rendition of "Vultures." This song also featured a percussive battle between Jordan and Mayer as he rapped a drumstick against his guitar strings.

As expected, ballads were plentiful throughout the night. But it's encouraging to see Mayer in a healthy space where he can make use of his own guitar prowess and ace supporting cast on tunes such as "Helpless," "Moving On," "Slow Dancing" and "Vultures."

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.