I’m a native New Yorker, and therefore live and breathe music.  Because of this, it should be surprising that I’ve never been to the famous Webster Hall.  It’s well-known for hosting major concerts, and I can finally see why:  it’s a great spot.  Mayer Hawthorne made the trip to New York City for the first stop of his US tour, and made this very clear during one of his many rants.  Yes, there was a little bit of anger in that statement.

Hawthorne’s got to be one of the most popular retro musicians these days, and the popularity has seem to gone to his head.  He’s cocky, but deservingly so.  The dude’s massively talented, and apart from the talking, puts on a great live show.  I really felt like I’d been transplanted back to the days when Motown was thriving and a Coke was just 25¢!  His set was really cool, yet couldn’t have been much simpler.  Plus, there was a backdrop of little shining lights like one could have seen back in the day.  Now to the music!

Mayer Hawthorne proved to me that his record isn’t some fabrication.  He’s got soul, and the crowd knew that from the moment he began singing they  were in for a treat.  Though I complained about his talking, it was nice on the occasion.  He set up his songs with short monologues about New York and life in general.  He said that we all know sometimes things “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out,” and that he wasn’t quite sure if playing a New York gig was the right choice, replying with, “Maybe So, Maybe No.”  Nice touch.

He wasn’t the only star shining brightly at Webster Hall, as his entire band was stupendous (did I really just say stupendous?).  Known as The County, each band member carried their own weight throughout the show.  Though the entire set was equally impressive, a few of my favorite songs definitely stood out.  I figured that there wouldn’t be any way that his smooth voice could translate perfectly live, but I was wrong.  ”One Track Mind,” “I Wish It Would Rain,” and “Make Her Mine“ were gold, giving even the most stubborn audience members the urge to dance like the Jackson 5 when they performed on the J5 Show (clip below).  Damn, son!

Now, back to Mayer.  I’m very impressed with this guy, and I’d probably see him again.  I may get tired of the same style over and over again because, well, I heard it all before in my parents old record collection.  Just because his stuff isn’t completely original doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s wildly talented, and a breath of fresh Motown air in a music world that’s filled with annoying pop stars.