John Mayer has contracted COVID-19 for a second time
John Mayer has tested positive for COVID-19 a second time, leading to the next four shows on his ‘Sob Rock’ tour being pushed back to May.
The songster shared his diagnosis overnight (February 25), confirming that alongside himself, several members in his band have also wound up with the virus. It comes just days after Mayer’s touring drummer tested positive, with Questlove stepping in to fill his role at the band’s New York City gig.
Whelp. More members of the band tested positive for Covid today, and I was one of them. This means we have to reschedule the next four shows, which we’ve already rescheduled and posted above. I’m so sorry to make you change your plans. https://t.co/60SzykxPK3 pic.twitter.com/KiGvO8tQGc
— John Mayer (@JohnMayer) February 25, 2022
Thus far, the affected dates include shows in Pittsburgh and Belmont Park, as well as two gigs in Boston. They’ve been knocked back to May 5, 9, 9 and 10, respectively; tickets for the old dates will remain valid, with remaining sales available via Ticketmaster.
As it stands, the rest of Mayer’s ‘Sob Rock’ tour is unchanged – he and his cohort will hit the road again in a fortnight, playing Las Vegas’ Grand Garden Arena on Friday March 11. From there, they’ve got a further 24 dates on the itinerary (including these newly rescheduled ones), including three shows in LA, two each in San Francisco and Seattle, and a quick drop-in to Canada.
Mayer first tested positive for COVID-19 in January, just a day before he was set to pay Dead & Company‘s ‘Playing In The Sand’ festival in Mexico.
Kicking off earlier this month, the ‘Sob Rock’ tour has been fraught with disaster from day one. During the first show of the run, Mayer and his band stopped performing when an audience member appeared to have fainted. The punter taken out of the venue in a wheelchair, while Mayer and co. left the stage for a few moments.
In a four-star review of ‘Sob Rock’ – which landed last July via Columbia – NME’s Will Lavin wrote: “Mayer’s willingness to poke fun at himself lends itself perfectly to the satirical foundation of ‘Sob Rock’. It is by all means a stimulating body of work with ample substance, but it doesn’t take itself too seriously.
“Less focused on his innate individuality, it’s a John Mayer passion project that toasts to the good old days, when musicians were more inclined to follow instincts and feelings than clicks and likes.”