More than 10 years before John Mayer took the stage with Bob Weir and the rest of Dead and Company, he was on his path to becoming one of the most formidable blues guitarists of his generation.

On the show Soundstage back in 2005, John started to show off some of his blues prowess when he welcomed Buddy Guy to the stage for the last couple of songs of the show. Watch John and Buddy do a masterful job of “Damn right I’ve got the blues.” If it looks like John Mayer is a kid in the clip, that’s because he was. John was playing blues with the likes of Buddy Guy at only 28 years old.

Buddy’s guitar pickups are a little weak during the song, but John’s are working just fine. They play “Feels Like Rain” to finish out the show after “Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues.”