"Do you think this bandanna lends me even more gravitas?" asks Columbia Chairman Ron Perry of axemaster John Mayer during the former's frankly delightful birthday party jam at L.A.'s storied Troubadour.
The event was filled with biz heavies but sported a loose and playful vibe; Sony Music boss Rob Stringer and Columbia EVP/GM Jen Mallory, among many others, could be observed enjoying the proceedings until the wee hours. The host dug into his Fender Jaguar with aplomb when not glad-handing the throng of well-wishers. In addition to Mayer (who delivered "Closing Time" with Perry, among other tunes), the parade of performers throwing down included John Legend, Pharrell, Diplo, Leon Bridges ("Pony"), Ryan Tedder ("Wonderwall" with Ron, Bridges and Mayer and "Song 2" featuring Andrew Watt), Noah Cyrus, Zhavia, Rosalía, HAIM ("Mustang Sally" with Mayer), Dominic Fike, Lauren Jauregui, Joey Badass and Cameron Dallas.
The early part of the evening saw less famous attendees take a turn at the mic with a karaoke band; that retinue may or may not have included a certain trade hack.