John Mayer is extremely concerned about those who care for him, as the 44-year-old musician demonstrated on Feb. 9 when he paused his concert in Los Angeles to make sure a fan in the audience received medical attention. While performing for a capacity crowd at the Hollywood Palladium, the seven-time Grammy winner abruptly stopped playing and asked his backing band to do the same. Mayer had noticed a female fan who had apparently passed out and had acted quickly.
As the room fell silent, Mayer inquired into the microphone, “Are they conscious?” Because he couldn’t hear what the fans were saying, he added, “Give me a thumbs up if they’re awake.” Mayer is visibly worried in a video captured by The Hollywood Reporter’s Chris Gardner. When he asks fellow fans near the woman, several hands rise up, all giving thumbs up. Mayer eventually left the stage and went backstage while a medical team dealt with the situation.
The distraught fan was reportedly wheeled away to safety, after which the musician returned, ready to perform again. “Anyone in the crowd who was worried, I’m told she waved goodbye, so she’s OK,” Mayer said when he returned to the stage.
Mayer is the latest artist to pause a concert to ensure that a fan obtains medical attention. Billie Eilish had stopped performing on her Happier Than Ever Tour a few days before when she noticed a young fan being crushed by the crowd. Eilish requested that an inhaler be brought out. As the fan used the inhaler, the current Oscar nominee said, “I wait for people to be OK before I continue,” to raucous applause.
Both incidents occurred months after the deadly AstroWorld Festival in November, in which ten fans were trampled and died as a result of their injuries. Travis Scott, the event’s curator, was performing at the time and insists he had no idea what was going on in front of him.
Meanwhile, Mayer was recently forced to cancel shows with Dead & Company due to a positive COVID-19 test. The “Wild Blue” singer will embark on a tour later in February that will take him across the United States for the next several months.