John Mayer Launches US Tour in Bloomington, 4/9

Seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician John Mayer launches his first U.S. tour in two years on April 9 at IU Auditorium in Bloomington, stopping in 18 cities through May 6. The tour leads into Mayer's upcoming fifth album "Born and Raised," which will be released soon thereafter.

Mayer produced "Born and Raised" with Don Was. David Crosby and Graham Nash provide vocals on the title song, and musicians joining Mayer on the album and on the road include keyboardist/pianist Chuck Leavell as well as previous collaborators Sean Hurley on bass and Aaron Sterling on drums. Rounding out the touring band are David Ryan Harris on guitar and vocals, Doug Pettibone on guitar and Michito Sanchez on percussion.

Mayer recently previewed the album's first single, "Shadow Days," on his Tumblr blog. The song will be made available to radio stations today, Feb. 27. He debuts his new album with a performance at SXSW on March 17.

Mayer's previous albums, "Room for Squares," "Heavier Things," "Continuum" and "Battle Studies" have sold more than 11 million copies combined. He has been honored with seven Grammy Awards and an additional 11 nominations.

The concert is presented by Jam Productions and Indiana University Memorial Union Board. Union Board is the largest programming body on the Bloomington campus, organizing events and activities such as concerts, lectures, debates and film screenings.

The special guest for the show is singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves, who recently signed to Mercury/Lost Highway records and whose debut album is set for release this year.

Mayer became passionate about supporting U.S. war veterans following a visit to the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune in North Carolina four years ago. He has since spent time with active military and veterans while touring, and he partnered with the Northern California Institute of Research and Education to provide veterans with a healthy reintegration into civilian life, helping them heal from the trauma they experienced.

Concertgoers can join Mayer in his support of veterans in two ways. A block of third-row orchestra seats will be made available for sale at a premium price exclusively through Tickets-for-Charity, with proceeds going to Mayer/NCIRE programs. At Tickets-for-Charity, fans pay the same or a lower price than for tickets found elsewhere for high-demand seats, with 100 percent of above-face benefit redirected to charity. For more information, go to www.ticketsforcharity.com/johnmayer. And at celebrity.ebay.com/john-mayer, Mayer fans can bid on four front-row tickets, plus a chance to meet him, with proceeds also going to Mayer/NCIRE programs for veterans.

In 2011, through his partnership with NCIRE, Mayer was able to launch the first of several pilot programs to benefit the men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Programs include a mobile exercise and wellness program; the development of a program of integrative medicine for traumatic stress; a study on veterans' readjustment to civilian life that aims to develop new therapeutic tools to aid the transition; and a first-of-its-kind screening and intervention program for women suffering from eating disorders triggered by combat-related post-traumatic stress.

Photo credit: Retna Digital.

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