Concert Review: Maxwell melts the crowd at FedExForum

Photo by Nikki Boertman // Buy this photo

R&B singer Maxwell thrills the crowd at FedExForum on Tuesday night.

Midway though his Memphis concert appearance on Tuesday, R&B singer Maxwell took a moment to thank his fans: “So many beautiful things have happened to me this year,” he offered breathlessly between songs, “so thank you for not going away.”

The past 12 months have seen Maxwell release the chart-topping BLACKsummer’snight album, and launch a critically acclaimed national tour, capping a remarkable comeback for the singer who decided to disappear from the spotlight for much of this decadethe ‘00s.

Photo by Nikki Boertman

R&B singer Maxwell thrills the crowd at FedExForum on Tuesday night.

Maxwell’s “BLACKsummers’snight” tour brought him to the FedExForum to face a somewhat light, but wildly enthusiastic weekday crowd.

Emerging in dark suit, looking GQ slick and with black wayfarers to match, Maxwell proceeded to deliver a nearly two-hour set that blended his neo-soul sound with an air of old-school elegance.

From the silken curtained backdrop, to his skillful use of a pair of Jumbotrons, to the stellar 10-piece big band backing him, every element of the show was designed to highlight the sophisticated cool at core of his music and persona.

Kicking off with a handful of old favorites that included “Dancewitme” and “Lifetime,” he thrilled the crowd with each successive number, the biggest early cheers coming as the opening of “Bad Habits” was played.

While he dug deep into his own catalog, he also did his best with a couple of covers. Last summer, Maxwell began his public comeback with a televised tribute to Memphis soul singer Al Green during the BET awards. On this night, he paid further homage to Green, working up a languid version of his “Simply Beautiful.”

Later, he transformed British songstress Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” into an emotional tour de force, a wounded plea for the end of war and famine.

But it wasn’t all good causes and good intentions. “We about to warm this sucker up,” noted Maxwell, as a bevy of steamy bedroom anthems beckoned, including a particularly saucy run through “…Till the Cops Come Knockin’”.

The horn section, led by native Memphian Kenneth Whalum III, proved particularly potent throughout the evening, seamlessly switching their brass parts from sultry grooves to spirited blasts of R&B.

While Maxwell offered the occasional dance move — a split here and there, a jazz step or two — his many female fans weren’t looking for a whirling dervish, as much a sauntering stud. Maxwell cut just such a figure, making good use of the long catwalks leading out into the crowd, as he slapped hands, accepted roses, and even occasionally rolled around among his admirers.

Continually working the elaborate stage set — at various points Maxwell would disappear into the floor through trapdoors, only to emerge on another side of the arena — he urged the crowd to sing along to “Stop the World,” and trilled his way through the falsettos of “Silently.”

Though his vocals were occasionally buried in the mix, and his Memphis “shout-outs” did get tiring after a while, the overall effect of the show was almost mesmeric. Perfectly plotted, and flawlessly executed, Maxwell made sure it was a night to remember.

— Bob Mehr, 529-2517

© 2009 Go Memphis. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.