Maxwell Tour (featuring Jazmine Sullivan)
Radio City, New York

Last week I had the pleasure of checking out the New York stop on Maxwell’s tour which also featured rookie soulstress Jazmine Sullivan. It all went down at New York’s prestigious Radio City Music Hall.  It had been such a long time since I had heard music from Maxwell or seen him in concert. I must admit I was curious to see what the turnout would be. I was even more curious to see what Maxwell had in store for his fans.

First up was Jazmine Sullivan, and she definitely took no prisoners. From her opening number, “Bust Your Windows” she engaged the crowd. At one point during "windows" she picked up a crowbar to further drive home the message her impassioned vocals were already communicating. She serenaded the crowd through a melodic quilt of  songs from her debut LP Fearless. Then she closed with her hit song “Need U Bad” to a roar from the crowd.

Anticipation began to build as fans waited for Maxwell to take the stage. I noticed that even as his show was about to start, fans were still filing in. Then suddenly the lights dimmed and a spotlight was shining on center stage. And there he was, back like he never left. As I surveyed Radio City, I could not find an empty seat in the house. I would later find out that show had sold out. Maxwell went through a catalogue of his hits beginning with "Ascension" then gliding through such classics as "Til the Cops Come Knockin'", "Fortunate," and "Whenever Wherever Whatever."

Perhaps the highlight of his set was when he stopped the show to announce that there were not enough panties on his stage. To this the women responded by hurling undergarments of all sizes towards the soul star. In the midst of his rousing set, Maxwell even dared to debut several unheard songs from his upcoming album to the delight of his fans. Even more impressive was that for someone who had been musically quiet (relatively) for the last couple of years, Maxwell never seemed uncomfortable on stage. Not even for a second. Maxwell is a truly gifted performer, and it was obvious his fans missed him dearly.