Welcome to Wonderland

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  With giddy glee I took my seat on the floor at downtown Orlando’s Amway Center to watch my college crush John Mayer take the stage. Another one to check off the totally insanely awesome things to do in Orlando list — front and center floor seats at a really great concert!

  The adorable American Idol winner Phillip Phillips was the opener. You may know him from his über well-selling debut song Home, which is actually the best selling coronation song of any American Idol winner. He is great live! Like, expect-big-things-from-him great. How was this man not already famous??

  Phillip Phillips was the solo opener, and then it was on to the main event. Now, this is not the womanizing/body is a wonderland/daughters John Mayer of years past. This is a more mature, settled down John, who told the crowd how much he’s grown in the 13 years he’s been a mega famous singer/songwriter.

  Rather than make the show all about his old stuff (which is obviously fabulous), he played a lot of new songs, thereby showing, and not just telling, the thousands and thousands in the crowd that he’s still a gifted songwriter, just a more grounded, mature one.

  Imagine if you will, nearly 10,000 people hearing song after song they don’t know, with an occasional old favorite thrown in (I mean, what’s a John Mayer concert without Waiting on the World to Change?!). You would have thought Your Body Is a Wonderland was on repeat the crowd was screaming so loudly. He is really just that talented as a singer, songwriter and guitar player. Also, if you haven't heard his single Who Says, you definitely need to get on that.

   

  
  Our seats were ammaaaaaaaazzzzing!!!

   

  I won’t bore you with all the details about every song he sang, the way he ran his hands through his hair, or the lyrics that moved me the most, but I do want to share that I loved how real he seemed as he talked to the crowd. Nothing sounded rehearsed or pre-planned. He admitted the last couple cities had been kinda rough, and he thanked Orlando for screaming for his brand-new stuff as if they were his old mega hits, and that he really needed that. Orlando made him feel like a true artist, and that we appreciated his talent, not just his old material.

  Awwwwww. You’re so welcome, John Mayer! And screw those other cities! Because anyone who sees him live can’t deny he is an artist. Even without his voice he could have been a millionaire songwriter. Without being a songwriter he could have been a millionaire guitarist. But he does sing beautifully, and his songs are fabulously written, and his guitar solos are ridiculously impressive. And he’s really hot and has phenomenal hair. ... Come on, you know I had to throw that in somewhere. ;)

   

  Dining before or after the show??

  The Magic Grill is at Amway Center and is open before every concert and Orlando Magic game.

  Harry Buffalo is just down the street, and it's always popular before and after any Amway Center event.

  Ember has a huge outdoor patio that's almost always packed before and/or after a Magic or Solar Bears game, or concert at Amway Center.