WV is a lonely place when it comes to entertainment. It's very rare to hear of an actual mainstream musician, besides your typical country legend, performing there. Every once in a while, WVU tries to bring in a popular artist to perform. After all, students put in long hours and pay high tuition for a well-rounded education. So, why not apply a hands-on music appreciation lesson to the college experience? Last year, a few acts such as Jason Mraz and Matchbox Twenty educated students by providing shows that are still talked about on campus. It would be hard to top such great talents in 2004. But, I stand up and applaud WVU for booking Guster and John Mayer on March 11.

As I visited some friends on the campus, I discovered almost everyone I came in contact with had plans of seeing the show. Most of these individuals also claimed they were going to wait until the opening act was over before they made their arrival to the Coliseum. I find this a shame since the opening act, Guster, did an excellent job warming up the crowd. At first, it was hard to see what was so profound about these guys. There are thousands of bands in this world who appear to be similar to this band, why would John Mayer pick Guster to open his show? Let me tell you why he did. Guster's live performance exudes an incredible energy for the fans to absorb. Previously on the tour, Maroon 5 opened. Yet, Guster has just as much potential as Maroon 5 if not more. It's obvious that these guys have the passion and energy to be a hit. They connect with their audience well by being so down to earth. The lead singer mentioned how he went for a jog on campus and how he had the most respect for the students who had to walk up that hill after he attempted the monstrous hill. If you've visited WVU, you know what hill he's talking about.

A band who connects both personally and musically...what more could you want from them? Unique talent? They've got that too. One of their most prosperous assets is their drummer who dominated the drums with his bare hands. He will mesmerize you. You really have to see the untouchable movements to believe it. If you couldn't believe what you saw, don't worry, Guster sealed their credibility gap (unlike some people we know) by hosting a meet and greet session with the fans so they could actually shake the hands that seemed to take a life of their own. Their performance was enough to make you a fan even if you had never heard of any of their songs before. With a set list of nine songs, it was obvious that "Fa Fa" was the highlight of their show. The crowd showed their approval through a standing ovation. I can't tell you how many people I saw after the show heading out the door with a brand new Guster cd.

In between the acts, you could hear girls talking of how excited they were to see John Mayer. I looked around at the different sections of the arena to find that there really wasn't a particular demographic at this show. You could find men and women of all ages ready to see his show. This discovery made my anticipation grow even more. As the lights went off, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia of a boyband concert (not to push John into that pop star category at all but the volume was insane!) The girls were screaming as loud as they could for John to appear. And within a minute, he confidently walked up to the mic and took control of the entire venue.

He began to perform "Clarity" as the blue lights lowered down over him. It reminded me of the video in a sense that John was driving by the ocean which gave off a relaxed feel. Not that I think the lighting had anything to do with the video, but it also matched up with his clothing selection- khakis and a black shirt with a graphic of a monkey riding a donkey. But, it wasn't the background info that I gave you that intrigued me. It was the fact that this guy truly had a passion for what he was doing on stage. Throughout the show, he was interacting with the band through facial expressions and still finding a way to feel the music by jumping around and really grooving to the music. You could tell that music and his guitar meant the world to him. Sure, the show was in an arena but he made it feel as if it were in a smaller more intimate location.

Not only does the man play well, but he can also get the crowd going through his witty sense of humor. In between songs, he'd talk to us about random things. One of the best moments was how he wished "someone" a happy birthday and how they knew who they were and that he'd get them some pie. He said next time he'd have to bring an entire truck full of cakes for each date. It was completely random yet hilarious. This is so much better than hearing a pre-rehearsed line. It reminded me that this is what real music is all about. It is all about coming from the heart of a person with real experience and raw talent. This is the type of music we should appreciate and pass down to future generations. Artists like John Mayer are contributing a positive image back to the music scene. I can only hope he inspires more musicians to take his attitude regarding the music.

Back to the actual show, John performed with all his might. He tore the place up with the famous singles (Why Georgia, No Such Thing, Your Body is A Wonderland, and many others) we all love then went into performing more of the songs off his latest release "Heavier Things." In addition to the greatest hits, he shared an upcoming song soon to be featured on the next album. A shoutout to John - the new stuff is great. It's as promising as what he has out now. I highly recommend the album, that's not even out yet, to everyone. Go buy it once it hits the stores. If you can't wait that long, John also performed a song off the EP that's exclusively available online through Apple iTunes. If you haven't purchased Heavier Things or Room for Squares, I bite my thumb at you (Just Kidding, go buy them...both...now!)

If you think you'd get bored from watching John with his guitar all night, think again. Before the encore, John switched over onto the drums and during one segment of the show he whistled a melody perfectly. Both surprises impressed me. His live show is something you must see if you enjoyed the cd. Even if you haven't listened to the cd, go see him. His band is very talented and entertaining as well. You will fall in love with music all over again as the flute, saxophone, drums, guitar seduce you. Of course, that's if John hasn't done so already. I can gurantee, you will be transformed into a John Mayer fan by the end of his performance.