The Latest Maxwell News

FEATURE: The Man w/the Microphone in His Hand (concert review)

The following is a review of Maxwell’s appearance November 14, 2008 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Greensboro, NC. Enjoy!

The beauty of a plan is the unexpected changes that may occur but we can only hope things go accordingly. War Memorial Auditorium, November 14, 2008, Greensboro, NC. SOLD OUT. The day was rainy and the drive would be a long one. So, things had to start early at 2pm. Two hours later, we, the party of three, were on the road hitting I-77 north bound, ready for the concert. Was there excitement, of course! Then four hours later, well, the drive up was only supposed to take two hours thirty minutes, three hours maximum, but we got a little lost. This was the particular direction that threw us off: Slight right at US-29 N/US-70 E. What?! What does slight right mean other than the obvious?

Anyway, four hours later, we made it to the venue for the festivities. Only heard one and a half songs from Jazmine Sullivan, before the main attraction, glanced us with his presence. Let me tell you something, once Maxwell finally hit the stage, it was full speed ahead. He gave us a reintroduction of a previous introduction with “Get to Know Ya.” And the crowd LOVED the energy he gave as he moved, pulling the audience into the soul of his music.

From that point on, song sequence is a blur. There is no remembering the sequence, when you are so wrapped up in the experience of the performance. Maxwell in concert November 14 was my introduction to seeing him perform live and in the flesh. True statement. Yes, my appreciation began many years ago in ’96 and has since grown tremendously over the years. But there was never an opportunity afforded to me to actually see him until now. So, grateful, just doesn’t seem strong enough a word to explain my feelings. I had to sit down a few times to grasp that I was actually at the concert. Am I here? Am I in the building? Is he there? Is he in the building? Once this was settled and once, his particular “Everwanting” dance movements began, hell yeah we were all in the same building. And everything was everything.

He sung crowd favorites such as “Fortunate,” which had everyone on their feet and “This Woman’s Work,” which had some couples dancing along and “Lifetime,” which had many singing along. When he launched into “Til the Cops Come Knockin,” one of my favorites by him, I was on my feet. It’s not the words of the song but the way he sings it. He also performed “No One” and “W/as My Girl,” definite crowd pleasers.

The new songs performed were “Help Somebody” and “Pretty Wings.” I thoroughly, enjoyed both songs. Once they are released as singles, they will most certainly go to number one status. He also performed the Al Green original, “Simply Beautiful.” Don’t know if that will be on the upcoming album or not but if so, lovely.

A few highlights from the night included, Maxwell singing “Ascension” in a cappella that was refreshingly surprising and a great experience! Seriously! Maxwell, also stood on top of the speakers on both ends. One speaker happened to be directly in front of me, yeah he was in touching distance but I decided against reaching out venue security was no joke. Additionally, a woman somehow got on the stage with Maxwell and gave him a hug which obviously, did not sit well with Maxwell’s personal security. Since I was on the “business” side of the stage, I saw Mr. Henry, slam open the side door, I think he cracked the hinges, once Maxwell said the code phrase. So, NOTE TO FANS ATTENDING FUTURE CONCERTS don’t do that. DO NOT jump on stage. That is a little scary, on all ends, once you really think things through. Lastly, Maxwell performed in a building President-Elect Barack Obama, then Presidential candidate, had a town hall meeting in early this year.

“Whenever, Wherever, Whatever” was the last song, the man with the microphone in his hand sung before he introduced the band members and ended the night. Amazing.

Once Maxwell starts touring next year and the years after that, I’m positive he will come closer to South Carolina particularly to Charlotte, NC, Columbia, SC, Spartanburg, SC, and/or Greenville, SC. Any will do. But for those who missed him this time around many opportunites are coming in the future. Start saving now.

“The Man w/the Microphone in His Hand” feature concert review for The Latest Maxwell News presents “From the Other Side of the Side a Maxwell fan’s perspective.”

Copyright Greencaty/Chantay © 2008. All words were used with permission of the owner. Special thanks to the owner for allowing The Latest Maxwell News to feature her concert review. Photos by Vanelle.

Posted in: Concert Reviews 2008, Feature

Tags: maxwell live 08, war memorial auditorium

This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2008 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Concert Reviews 2008, Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.