The greatest weapon of The Beatles was how exquisite their voices sounded together on their great songs. No one has done it quite like them since they split in 1969, but John Mayer and Keith Urban sure came close with their sensational cover of the Fab Four’s “Don’t Let Me Down”.
Both Mayer and Urban sang lead and played lead throughout the song. We knew how great it was going to be right out of the gate when the two living legends sang the iconic opening chorus together, with Urban singing the higher harmony and Mayer adding a silky smooth low harmony. Their vastly different voices complimented each other so wonderfully in a way that was reminiscent of how The Beatles harmonized together.
The epic collaboration was professionally shot at the Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2013. Urban took the first verse, doing an excellent job on John Lennon’s romantic tune. Mayer got his chance next with the second verse, with his rendition of the song leaning into an R&B vibe as the band switched gears into a minimalist groove.
The performance was part of John Mayer’s four-song set at the Crossroads Guitar Festival on May 12, 2013, at Madison Square Garden. Mayer’s band was in absolutely cracking form on the song, and there was some fiery guitar slinging in the bridge, where first Urban then Mayer took solos. Urban and Mayer also performed together for CMT Crossroads 2010, where they played a full set together, which included original songs from both singers.
Mayer and Urban have ridiculous chemistry together onstage, which fans definitely noticed, adding comments such as “These two artists compliment each other vocally and musically so darn well! Musical soul mates!” and “Still one of the best collabs of our time. Can’t get over it.”
Beyond their professional collaboration, Mayer and Urban have also been friends for many years. The pair have got up to some antics over the years, including when Mayer sold Urban a high-end guitar amplifier. Urban then had the cheque delivered to Mayer in a silver briefcase, as if it was a scene from a James Bond film. Mayer later commented on the sale to Rolling Stone Australia, saying “I thought it was a great way of leaning into the insanity of it all. I still have the case. It’s a great keepsake.”
During the same interview, Mayer said how much he admired Urban’s ability to sing and play guitar to such a high level at the same time, saying “It’s hard to make people who don’t play guitar care about guitar solos, but Keith is one of those rare few who knows how to make the guitar speak inside of their songs.” Mayer also noted that “Part of appearing effortless is that people don’t notice the effort, but [Urban] is doing some really beautiful and fluid stuff that’s way harder to pull off than you might think.”
You can find more fantastic performances from the renowned artist John Mayer on his social media platforms. Check out his Facebook for updates and interact with him through his posts. You can also enjoy more visual content from him by visiting his Instagram page. Be sure to follow and like his pages for all the latest news and freshly released music.