FEATURE: Uplifting, Soulful and Full of Love (Concert Review)
Hello, the following is a review of Maxwell’s final appearance during his Summer ’09 Tour (August 05, 2009) in Durham, NC at Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC).
The determination to arrive on time (as opposed to last year’s late arrival) was so palpable that my brain sent messages to my foot and eyes to add +10 and +15 to whatever the speed limit was and it worked like magic! We arrived right on time. This arrival afforded me the opportunity of seeing contemporary gospel singers Mary Mary live and in the flesh. Been following their career for almost a decade, something I did not realize until they sung the hit “Shackles” from their 2000 album Thankful.
The women, Erica and Tina, were absolutely wonderful and if you have never seen them, make it a point in the near future. Their music is very uplifting, soulful and full of love. Which are characteristics that have been used to define Maxwell’s music. Once the women finished, there was a period of waiting, up to 45 minutes. This time was used to observe the people. At this concert, as I suspect all others, the people who made up the audience were of ALL age groups, from late teen’s to the 60′s and possibly older. In this day, or any day, you will find that is extremely hard for an artist to do. Capture the attentions of such a board range of people.
With all due honestly, the most enjoyable thing about seeing MAXWELL in concert at the Durham Performing Arts Center (August 05, 2009) was the experience in itself. From seeing the opening act to leaving the venue. The night started off with The Urban Theme, as stated by the many people who have seen the concerts, the band was amazing! They provide the prefect compliment to Maxwell. The songs that follow were Get to Know Ya, Sumthin’ Sumthin’, Lifetime, Bad Habits, Everwanting, This Woman’s Work, Cold (which received a lukewarm response from the audience), W/As My Girl, Pretty Wings, Simply Beautiful, Fortunate, …Til The Cops Come Knockin’, and Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder).
I found the showcasing of the band members,via lighting and talent, very captivating. The lights would go dark and a spotlight would shine on say, Chris “Daddy” Dave and he would do his thing. Or a spotlight would shine on Robert Glasper and he would do his thing. And so on. The night could have went on with the spotlight hitting various members and them showing off pure god-given and learned talent and I would have paid good money to see it. The lighting and band members were that good.
There was a point when the music was playing with this jazzy quality of sound (during a new song) and I remember thinking, this sounds outstanding, somebody put it on wax! The live sound is completely off the meters. So, whenever Maxwell is ready to put together that live album…1. I would LOVE to be in the audience and 2. I’ll be buying 3 copies (1 to NEVER be opened, 1 for home, and the last 1 for travel purposes).
On stage, Maxwell was his usual naughty self (with chin-dropping moves) but he apologized for it (no need to apologize Maxwell!). His stage presence was and is incredibly entertaining. Well, I must confess, many times during the night I used the good Lord’s name in vain. Strangely enough, or maybe not so strangely, this occurred when Mary Mary was long gone from the stage. A notable entertaining moment from Maxwell, was towards the end of the show, I believe it was …Til the Cops Come Knockin’. During this particular song, Maxwell expressed he did not care what time of the month it was because he HAD to have his lady. He mentioned something about laying down towels. He lightly (okay, maybe not so lightly) went into detail about all the things he was going to do. I will leave that out for those who have not gotten the chance to see him. Let us just say, he left nothing to the imagination.
The night ended with the band members introducing themselves, when it got down to Wah Wah Watson. I cannot remember exactly what he said but he referred to Maxwell as a brother which I thought was cool. When you get to know people for years on end, even if they are not blood related, a close bond can form to the point where you do regard them as family. I myself have been privileged to experience such. He also said, support the music because we love music, or something of that equivalent.
I found that a excellent piece of advice, so, if you purchased Maxwell’s BLACKsummersnight (CD/DVD Deluxe | CD) and enjoyed it, then you will definitely enjoy music from the following people. Wah Wah Watson, Hod David, LaTina Webb, Chris “Daddy” Dave, Timbali Cornwell, Shedrick Mitchell, Robert Glasper, Derrick Hodge, Keyon Harrold, Saunders Sermons, and Kenneth Whalum III.
For those in the Carolinas, October 6, 2009, MAXWELL and band will be in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Time Warner Cable Arena tickets onsale beginning August 14, 2009 on livenation.com or myspace.com/maxwell. Be ready.
“Uplifting, Soulful and Full of Love” feature concert review for The Latest Maxwell News presents “Fan Concert Experiences“.
Copyright Chantay W./LMN © 2009 All words were used with permission of the owner. Special thanks to the owner for allowing The Latest Maxwell News to feature the concert review.
This entry was posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 2:48 am and is filed under 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.
2Serenity August 7th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
*gasp* !!!! Thank you for a wonderful review! !