We’re not going to lie. We have no idea what’s going on in this photo, nor what inspired singer John Mayer to don a bear costume before singing with Sheryl Crow at the Sound Advice Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Florida on October 11, 2006. But since he did keep it real with rock n’ roll’s wonderfully corny back-to-back pose, you sort of have to respect the concept. We do know that it was the penultimate concert of the duo’s joint tour. Tonight they close out their three-month run at the Ford Amphitheatre in nearby Tampa. But speaking of sound advice, do yourself a favor and check out this Vanity Fair article from 2001 about the culture of "Furries" — people whose interest in animal costumes goes further than an appreciation for The Lion King. It’s worth a read for the photos alone.
Update: Mayer writes about the prank on his blog: The nearly done-to-death bear suit gag had at least one more go-round left in it, so when Ms. Crow called me up to play on "My Favorite Mistake" as she had done so many times before, she was forced to sing while taking it all in; that not only was she about to forget the words to half of the second verse, but the gaggle of press photographers allowed to shoot the first three songs of her set were snapping away at our every move. So, after all the great nights of music, after opening our hearts up on stage, making the leap of faith that is closing our eyes and hoping we’re affecting the scores of people who have waited all afternoon to temporarily quell whatever is weighing on them, this incredible six-week experience will be summed up with just a photograph: Sheryl Crow leaning against a douchebag in a bear suit. And that, my friends, is how you pull an end-of-tour prank.
Us Magazine
At first I did not know he was wearing a costume…lol!
