NASHVILLE, Tenn. — John Mayer broke down on stage Wednesday night after a day of controversy sparked by some controversial comments he made during a Playboy interview.

"In the quest to be clever, I completely forgot about the people that I love and the people that love me," the 32-year-old musician, who has come under fire for some racial remarks in the magazine's March issue, told his audience at Nashville's Sommet Center.

"I should have just given that up and played the guitar," he went on. "I didn't. So I decided I would try to be as clever as possible all the time, and I did that at the expense of people that I love and that feels absolutely terrible."

Mayer, who was visibly choked up, added that his bandmates were on stage with him "not because they condone what I say in any given interview ... but they support myself as a possible future grown-up."

Before taking the stage, the "Heartbreak Warfare" singer issued an apology on his Twitter page.