John Mayer covers Van Halen's Panama

Face it: Everybody wants to be Eddie
Face it: Everybody wants to be Eddie

The things you have to do to keep Jennifer Aniston entertained.

By now, you'd think John Mayer would have enough of his own hits to fill out a set. But on his current tour, the singer-guitarist has been surprising audiences with a fair amount of covers, such as a mellow take on the blues standard Crossroads and a spirited version of Tom Petty's Free Fallin'.

Nothing, however, could have prepared us for Mayer, shirtless (the better to show off the tats) and leaping about like a 16-year-old, busting out a stone-cold rendition of Van Halen's Panama. Singer David Ryan Harris, who performs with Mayer's band, handles the David Lee duties, while Mayer makes like Eddie - hammer-ons and everything.

Curious? Of course you are. Here's the video.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.