I Saw Maxwell In Concert and Lived to Tell the Tale

Cuz lemme tell you, some of the women in the audience were a bit enthused. Heads bobbing, arms flailing, hips shaking and shouts of....euphoria. I thought I was witnessing a 'holy ghost' experience. Nah, just good ol' fashioned randy behavior. Maxwell was the sexual chocolate of the evening and as he said to the men in the audience, "I'll do all the work for you tonight."

Thanks to a curly-haired diva sitting next to me, who reset the features on my camera I have plenty to share and some video. Just bear in mind, it was filmed on a camera, not a camcorder. Sneaking the camera in was hard enough. I had to do serious dodging from the ever-watchful eyes of security and ushers while I used it.

He looks and sounds just as good - if not better- than when I first saw him in 1997. His backing band was amazing. Everyone was dressed with a touch of elegance: the men in tuxes and the lone female backing vocalist wore this Grecian-inspired peach gown with finger waves.

Maxwell did all the hits! He had nice segues between the songs and had the band change positions on stage which was a nice touch to break up any potential monotony. He had a killer horn section who doubled as male harmonies as well. I could go and on....and on. I am totally biased. I wish the show had gone on for another hour.

One thing that stood out for me was his appreciation of the audience. He thanked us for our support and took the time to introduce the musicians for a final bow at the end. He seems like a really nice man who does what he loves for a living. I felt the respect he has for his audience by his respectful behavior.

So although I am a bit of a perfectionist, this footage is not professionally shot and I obviously didn't have higher quality equipment, but it's a nice memento that captured a moment! Enjoy.

Update: I may have to edit the video because the upload was taking more than one hour. I have no idea why it was running so slowly. The photos can be viewed on Flickr.

I'm Off To See Maxwell

One of our last great vocal stylists of sensual songs I have been anxiously awaiting new material from one Mr. Maxwell Rivera, but alas we will have to wait. Seeing him live, however is nothing short of an out of body experience. I first had the pleasure of seeing him in 1997 at Radio City Music Hall. I was a bit suspicious about his official age being 24 because his show was flawless, his vocal delivery so skilled and he had such command of his audience that I couldn't believe he hadn't been performing professionally for years. Sigh. Of contentment. 

When he came on the scene he was just so cool. No one rocked an afro with such flair. He also showed a depth in character I hadn't expected by retooling a Kate Bush song and making it his own. I was fairly certain I was the only person who'd heard This Woman's Work previously - aside from the band - amongst the overwhelmingly Black (conservative) audience. His acknowledgement of the silent contributions of (Black) women by choosing to do that song has always stood out. Even moreso now with the advent of such derogatory songs flooding the airwaves that passes for music. I listen to all genres of music and Kate is one of my faves. It was unexpected and I was sooo impressed!!! Now it's one of his signature songs. Like Sade, he'll always have an audience I just wish we didn't have to wait so long between music releases and tours. It's been 8 years!!!! 

Here's his tribute to Al Green. I'll update with a review on Wednesday. 

Maxwell's Gonna Show You How It's Really Done

MAXWELL IS BACK!!!!!!

No there's not an album release date but tickets for his Fall tour are on sale. Right Now!!!!