Review: In Tampa, Maxwell flexes and reflects on 30 years of music in second ‘Serenade’ show [PHOTOS]

Fresh-faced and just 22 years old, Maxwell and his Urban Hang Suite ushered in the resurgence of R&B in the '90s. While the genre never really went away, it feels like it's in something of a golden age in 2024.

Now 51 years old, but looking no older than his late-30s, Maxwell examined the breadth of his catalog for 9,000 fans at Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Sunday night. But first, the New Yorker reached back five decades for a new cover of Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful.” It’s tough to be as sensual as the singer-turned-preacher was on that 1972 cut, but it was hard to not feel things as Maxwell emerged on a B-Stage at 9:42 p.m. to kick off the 79-minute show.

Perhaps amped up from a high-energy, headliner-caliber 12-song set from Jazmine Sullivan (whose first big tour was opening for Maxwell in ‘08), the man of the hour wasted no time making his way through the crowd and letting his seven-piece band warm up everyone up with loud, funky runs through Suite bangers like “Sumthin’ Sumthin,” Embrya bodyrocker “Matrimony: Maybe You,” and the house-heavy Blacksummers’night (stylized “blackSUMMERS’night”) cut “All The Ways Love Can Feel.”

The ensemble blazed through nine songs in less than 20 minutes for the first act, but let itself slow down for the rest of an 18-song performance that marked the second date of a 26-date "Seranade" tour run that won’t wrap in Los Angeles until late next month.

And while it might’ve been fun to watch Maxwell play with the elasticity of his vocal on “Luxury: Cococure,” or the almost rock delivery of “Bad Habits,” the singer shined most on naked slow jams like the meditative “Downdeep: Hula,” where the the band went into an acoustic setup complete with djembe and cajon before launching into the Suite classic “Whenever Wherever Whatever.”

On that song, the stripped-back delivery of ad-libbed lyrics about doing the dishes or sweeping the floors was a gentle reminder of the humanity that’s been a hallmark of Maxwell’s catalog. For all the sensuality that oozes from a tune like “W/As My Girl,” the brightest spots in his work allude to the the work people must do to keep their connections to each other alive (and no, this is not the tour that sees the return of the Kate Bush cover Maxwell hasn’t played live in seven years).

There’s been a little work on those classics from the discography, too. “Lifetime” was delivered about a half-step faster to great effect,” “Fortunate”—with a searing Hammond B3 solo from Musical Director Shedrick “Shed” Mitchell—has been transformed into a big singalong that’s the perfect prelude to the bombastic, park jam-ready arrangement of “Ascension” that married the big energy from Sullivan’s set to Maxwell’s classic catalog.

“Shoutout to the ‘70s babies… and to the ‘80s babies, ‘90s babies, ‘60s babies, ‘50s babies” he said to the crowd after the song. “We got a whole generational situational in here.”

And Maxwell is a true generational talent. At one point, after thanking the audience for giving him more than 30 years of music-making, Maxwell evoked the memory of Frankie Beverly, who passed away five days before the show. He mentioned how the Maze founder embedded himself in the lives of his listeners.

“He was part of our barbecues, and our birthday parties,” Maxwell said as members of the crowd nodded in agreement.

There’s no question Maxwell’s signature falsetto is embedded in the canon of R&B. But his lasting effect might have been best characterized by a massive singalong that erupted after the show, as fans exited Amalie Arena and started to work through a song made famous by Beverly and Maze.

“I would never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never let you go, before I go,” they screamed.

Maxwell’s songs undoubtedly hallmarks in R&B’s history, and while his music will always bring us together, it feels like he’s still got a lot more stories to tell.