John Mayer's September appearance in Kansas City showed how much confidence he has in the strength of his hardcore fan base. Gone was the brass band of last summer's tour. This time it was just three men on stage playing down and dirty blues for more than an hour and a half.

The John Mayer Trio came out with a blistering version of “Everyday I Have Blues” and the rest of the set consisted almost entirely of new material and covers.

The trio is Mayer on guitar, Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums. Their aggressive blues rock whipped the crowd into a frenzy. If you wanted to hear three-minute pop songs, this was not a night for you.

Mayer may lose some fans, but that can happen when you take a risk. This night was all about showcasing the new tracks and Mayer's guitar skills. The song “Gravity” was one of the best of the night, combining Mayer's songwriting ability and a vicious blues beat.

Onstage Mayer successfully made the transition from pop singer-songwriter to blues player, and the majority of the crowd was more than willing to join him in a new musical direction.