John Mayer paid a quiet tribute to Dolly Parton during a private SiriusXM concert in the Hamptons.
Mayer, 47, took the stage Wednesday night at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett for an invitation-only show that drew a packed room of celebrities. 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 James Dolan.
The “Gravity” singer ran through career-spanning hits including “Who Says” and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” for an ecstatic crowd. Throughout the set, fans shouted “Jolene!” and “Dolly!” hoping for a direct cover of the country legend, who died Tuesday at 80.
But Mayer had a subtler tribute in mind. During his encore, he launched into the guitar solo from Parton’s 1974 classic “I Will Always Love You.” The musical nod appeared to go over the heads of many attendees. “I can’t believe he didn’t pay tribute to Dolly,” more than a few were heard saying afterward, even as they praised the overall show.
The understated homage came as the music world continued reeling from Parton’s death. In a SiriusXM interview with Cohen set to air Friday, Mayer spoke at length about her impact. “I think Dolly would be really happy to see that on the day of her passing, the world came together in a way that it hadn’t in a very long time to celebrate someone,” he said.
“I haven’t felt connected like that for a long time, and here’s a human being who carried herself through every decade of her life perfectly,” he continued. “I don’t 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.”
Between songs, Mayer kept the crowd laughing with a mix of lighter banter and what he called “existential” topics. He gave Uber Eats a shout-out while laying out his personal delivery rule. “You want to know my rule of paying for food delivery?” he asked. “Forty-dollar tip, no matter what. Doesn’t 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 I’m ordering Nobu? $40. Your drive is the same.”
Mayer appears to be settling in comfortably on the East End. He stayed with Cohen, his close friend and the “Housewives” franchise boss, while in town for the show. The arrangement came with an unusual perk: access to Cohen’s bedroom as a makeshift studio.
“Andy has given me his bedroom and he has taken a different bedroom,” Mayer revealed. “Now, 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.”
The single comes from Mayer’s upcoming ninth studio album. He described his current creative approach as a search for genuine inspiration rather than familiar territory. “All that’s left now is to find these moments and songs that really delight me to make them,” he said. “And that means the songs are going to be different because I’ve made so many songs.”
The Hamptons show marked a rare intimate performance for Mayer, who has spent recent years balancing arena tours with selective smaller venues. The Stephen Talkhouse, a longtime fixture of the East End music scene, has hosted surprise sets from major artists for decades.
Mayer’s interview with Cohen airs Friday on SiriusXM.