Boisterous cheers echoed louder and louder against the walls of the Chaifetz Arena Wednesday night while guests anticipated the man of the hour, Maxwell.
In walks a dark silhouette figure, suavely dressed, through a cloud of smoke onstage in an all-black suit with a bouncy, larger-than-life curly afro.
The 48-year-old trailblazer of the neo-soul movement – a subgenre of R&B – approached his audience looking the same way he did when he launched his music career 26 years ago with his 1996 debut album “Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. “
He danced in a slow seductive way, slowly winding, then twerking to the rhythmic sounds of “Get to Know Ya” and “Lake By the Ocean.” Maxwell entranced with heavenly falsettos in “Bad Habit” and “Fistful of Tears.”
“I came out with a record called “Urban Hang Suite”, and it was the hardest thing because no one thought it could be anything,” Maxwell said. “No one believed in it. You guys did, and I love you for it.”
Journeying down memory lane with the songs a then 22-year-old Maxwell sung on his breakout project, his performance began with “Sumthin’ Sumthin'” “Dancewitme,” and “Lifetime.”
Sincere appreciation showed on his face when he told fans he was the luckiest man in the world because he was in St. Louis with them.
“She came from St. Louis,” Maxwell sang, offering a pretend song he made up on the spot. “She came to hear some music. She told me if you have a voice, then use it and count your blessings; don’t abuse it.”
His love for the city speaks for itself as he had two natives on stage with him: organist Shedrick Mitchell and trumpeter Keyon Harrold. He shouted both out and spotlighted Ferguson native with a moving solo on “Stop the World.”
He effortlessly performed “Fortunate” with a rendition that paid tribute to the late Minneapolis icon Prince’s classic “Do Me, Baby.”
He didn’t stray away from his Caribbean roots. The crooner of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent demonstrated Megan Thee Stallion isn’t the only one with undisputed squats and impressive knee strength.
He danced in a slow seductive way, slowly winding, then twerking to the rhythmic sounds of “Get to Know Ya” and “Lake By the Ocean.” Maxwell entranced with heavenly falsettos in “Bad Habit” and “Fistful of Tears.”
While serenading the crowd with a stream of his hits and accentuated classic R&B covers, the standout of the night was his stellar presentation of his sophomore single “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder).”
When he stepped away from the mic during the song’s second verse, the entire arena sang acapella in unison. He stood in amazement at the fans’ genuine love for the music. After basking in the moment, he returned to the mic and finished the song with grace.
Another gratifying revelation for Maxwell was the vast age range of those in attendance.
“Shoutout to the ’70s babies, ’80s babies, ’90s babies, ’60s babies, ’50s babies,” Maxwell said. “Wow, do you understand what’s happening right now? It’s multi-generational; that’s wild.”
Many of the guests left the venue when he rounded out the tour with “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever,” thinking his set was over since he took a brief break before closing.
He surprisingly didn’t perform two of his most famous songs, “This Woman’s Work” and “…Til the Cops Come Knockin.'”
His performance was solid with exuberant energy showing he’s still passionate about his craft two decades in and cares about his core fanbases’ satisfaction.
North Carolina native, unapologetic southern gentleman and Grammy-winning soul singer Anthony Hamilton approached his supporters decked head-to-toe in a white silk blouse, matching trousers, and his signature statement piece, a fedora.
His physical aesthetic was cool for his show opener of “I’m Cool.”
His former background vocalists “The HamilTones,” are no longer his backing support, but his replacements understood the assignment. He and the new collective were melodic and impressive with their cover of H.E.R.’s “Best Part.”
“St. Louis, if you love me, won’t you tell me?” Hamilton sang, and the crowd went crazy.
His distinct grit was evident in his version of Luther Vandross’ “Superstar,” a remake duet with Jennifer Hudson off his latest album, “Love is the New Black.”
“It’s amazing you should download it, stream it, whatever you gotta do, listen to it,” Hamilton said. “It’s six minutes, and it can get you in trouble on a short lunch break. You might wanna choose wisely.”
The “country boy” proud of his beginnings took the audience back with Nappy Roots’ “Po’ Folks” and “Comin’ From Where I’m From.”
He concluded with a stretched-out version of “Charlene,” an apparent crowd favorite as it seemed everyone in the place sang word-for-word at the top of their lungs. It’s fair to say he gave fans the best of him.
Opening actJoe Thomas immediately had the ladies swooning when he approached the stage in all-black and a half-buttoned shirt with his chest out.
The “Power” was in his hands when he opened the show’s theme song, “Big Rich Town,” the theme from the popular TV show. He transitioned with “Stutter (Remix),” “Faded Pictures,” “What If A Woman,” and “Good Girls.”
He paid homage to rapper Big Pun’s Latin roots when he salsa danced to hissmash single 1998’s “I’m Not A Player.”
Following his performance, St. Louis Aldermanic Board President Lewis Reed presented Black Promoters Collective, the company that organized the show, with a resolution from the City of St. Louis for the company’s efforts in being Black promoters organizing Black talent on a national level.
“We wanna ask that you continue to support us as we recycle our dollars,” Sulaiman Mausi, S.V.P. of the Black Promoters Collective said. “We take our money, pour it back into our community. We can’t do that without you. Thank you, St. Louis, for supporting us. We’ve been doing shows for a long time, but we came together in partnership to elevate what we’re doing.”