John Mayer brought out a seriously starry crowd in the Hamptons Wednesday night for his SiriusXM private concert at the famed Stephen Talkhouse, where he gave a subtle nod to Dolly Parton.
Guests included Paul and Stella McCartney, Michael J. Fox, Howard and Beth Stern, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Marcus King, Katie Couric, Andy Cohen and Madison Square Garden bigwig James Dolan.
The âGravityâ singer ripped through hits including âWho Saysâ and âSlow Dancing in a Burning Roomâ for an ecstatic crowd.
More than a few fans shouted âJolene!â and âDolly!â throughout the set in hopes Mayer would cover a song by the country legend, who died Tuesday at 80. But Mayer had another Parton moment in mind.
During his encore, he launched into the guitar solo from Partonâs 1974 classic âI Will Always Love Youâ â a sly musical salute that seemed to be lost on many in the crowd.
âI canât believe he didnât pay tribute to Dolly,â more than a few were heard saying in between praising the career-spanning show.
According to a preview of an interview with Cohen set to air on SiriusXM Friday, Mayer also praised Parton in the sit-down with his pal, saying, âI think Dolly would be really happy to see that on the day of her passing, the world came together in a way that it hadnât in a very long time to celebrate someone.â
âI havenât felt connected like that for a long time, and hereâs a human being who carried herself through every decade of her life perfectly. I donât know that there are many people in this world left that can galvanize a very fractured world to come together and share love for one person,â he added.
Between songs, Mayer kept the crowd laughing, bouncing from lighter fare into what he called âexistentialâ topics.
âYou want to know my rule of paying for food delivery?â he asked, giving Uber Eats a shout-out. âForty-dollar tip, no matter what. Doesnât matter what you got⊠the drive is the same. ⊠I got a cup of coffee? Or I am being a bit of a dickhead, and Iâm ordering Nobu? $40. Your drive is the same.â
Mayer appears to be making himself at home out East. We hear he stayed with his bestie, âHousewivesâ boss Cohen, while in the Hamptons.
Mayer reveals on the podcast that heâs mixing a single from his upcoming ninth album in Cohenâs bedroom.
âAndy has given me his bedroom and he has taken a different bedroom,â Mayer says. âNow, in order to mix this single and have it out in time, I had to rent studio monitors that are now set up on stands in his bedroom and I woke up this morning and I mixed the single from bed with these monitors in front of me.â
As for the rest of the album, Mayer says heâs looking for the songs and moments that genuinely excite him.
âAll thatâs left now is to find these moments and songs that really delight me to make them,â he says. âAnd that means the songs are going to be different because Iâve made so many songs.â
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