“She was so patient,” he said, adding that she took the time “to continue to get to know me and love me” despite his vocal impairment. (A vocal-cord lubricating throat spray he self-administered between songs also likely aided in his success.) Mayer made mention of his surgery only once – albeit in quite a deliberate fashion – referencing his former girlfriend Katy Perry, and noting how the pop star ordered food for him when he couldn’t speak. But on the whole the singer’s voice sounded strong and confident. The singer has taken many songs down into a noticeably lower vocal register – a change-up most noticeable on “Waiting on the World to Change,” during which he forwent all of his falsetto parts. To that end, Mayer’s voice was the elephant in the room all evening. The 50 Best Albums of 2012: John Mayer, ‘Born and Raised’ Mayer’s palpable joy was no surprise: Not only was Saturday the first stop on the guitarist’s “Born and Raised” tour, but save for one-off festival appearances and a pair of Philadelphia dress-rehearsal shows last week, it marked the first time he’s taken the stage for a proper headlining show since doctors successfully repaired a granuloma in his throat last August.
“I’ve spent many, many months dreaming of this night,” said John Mayer, addressing the Summerfest crowd moments before closing out his momentous tour-opening show on Saturday evening at Milwaukee’s Marcus Amphitheatre.