What song did John Mayer perform at the Michael Jackson Memorial on Tuesday?
Connecticut-born musician, John Mayer, was the fourth of a string of celebrities to perform at the memorial service for Michael Jackson today. Mayer performed Human Nature in front of a capacity audience at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles during the two-hour long performance to celebrate the life of the dead King of Pop. The memorial service got underway some 45-minutes late, after the dead 80s King of Pop’s body was transported in a motorcade from the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, to the site of the memorial service, amidst a massive security cordon. Jackson’s $US25,000, 14-karat gold-plated, solid bronze coffin, bedecked with a huge bouquet of red roses, was the center of attention in the stadium, with millions of people around the world joining together to watch the show. Prior to the memorial service beginning it was estimated the world-wide viewing audience from television, streaming internet, movie theatre screenings and iPhone streams could easily top two billion. S
Pop & Hiss brings you quick thoughts on some of the main performances at today’s Michael Jackson memorial. What: John Mayer’s ‘Human Nature.’ Ann Powers is inside the Staples Center, and her first thought at Mayer’s performance: “I don’t know why John Mayer is here. Was Slash not available?” Mayer went for a stylish guitar interpretation. It was vocal-less until about halfway through, when a choir sang the lyrics above a whisper. It’s easy to take a jab at Mayer here, with his exaggerated, pained expressions and Sunday brunch-safe interpretation, but in this setting it was soft and respectable. Although there’s no need to hear it beyond Tuesday afternoon. Powers is a bit more kind, noting that the take is “reasonably tasteful,” although she adds that the crowd singalong that organizers may have hoped for didn’t develop. — Ann Powers and Todd Martens Photo credit: EPA “I thought his interpretation was thoughtful and heartfelt. John Mayer is an amazing guitarist and it was a wonderful tr
