It looks like John Mayer is facing some challenges! Recently, there have been reports about an incident involving his index finger and a truck door, which may cause it to be unusable for some time. The musician shared a photo of his bandaged finger on Instagram, mentioning in the caption that he will only have three functional fingers to use during his upcoming shows with Dead & Company.
He also wrote a long note in which he said that his index finger will take time to heal, but he has to practice guitar using his other three fingers. Dead & Company are at the Sphere in Las Vegas for the Dead Forever residency, which ends on August 10. With six shows left, John Mayer has to adjust to playing with three working fingers and learn a new setlist every night.
Mayer, who has been part of the band since 2015, said, “I’ve always felt like every part of me is connected to these shows, and it’s my responsibility to return to the stage each night without damaging the equipment, and I’m sorry for the accident.”
John further added that until his finger is fully healed, his guitar playing may look a little different to fans. In response to his detailed post, musician May Erlewine posted, “I’m sorry! I hope you recover quickly and without consequences. Maybe some new shapes are a gift to inspire new songs.”
The band has 5 shows left after which the musician can rest and let his finger heal. In addition to playing in the band Dead & Company, Mayer has exceeded expectations not only as a solo artist, guitarist and songwriter but also as a key collaborator, front-man of a fierce blues trio and most recently as a producer. In 2001, he released his acclaimed debut with Room for Squares, followed by Heavier Things in 2003.
After the residency ends, it is uncertain when Dead & Company will perform jointly again. They completed their “final tour” in 2023 but returned to Vegas, saying the residency is not technically a tour because the shows take place in the same location every night.
“We’ll do shows — I believe we love this music so much that we’ll do shows,” Mayer said on Watch What Happens Live in October 2023. “We’re just trying to figure out what that will look like in the future. But everybody has a desire in their hearts to keep playing.”
Like any other injury that can happen to humans, this isn’t the first time the musician has suffered a setback in his career. Previously, he told Rolling Stone that two surgeries on his vocal cords (the most recent in August 2012) have forever changed the texture of his voice.
He said, “I don’t have projection. My laugh has changed. The way I used to laugh was kind of like, ‘I’m ashamed’, high-pitched laugh. I don’t laugh like that anymore. I’ve found new ways for everything – new ways to talk, new ways to laugh.”
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