The 50 Intimate Nights Tour touched down in the Nation’s Capital on Thursday, October 4th, at the MGM National Harbor, and if opening night was a preview of things to come, strap yourself in for what is guaranteed to be a sultry and seductive ride with the R&B legend.
Opening for Maxwell, the beautiful Marsha Ambrosious graced the stage with her energy and her incredible vibrato. The enchanting Leo eased the crowd into the night with classics such as “Far Away”, reminding us every bit that if she was ever going to “Cheat on you with a Basketball player…”, tonight was the night. I think John Wall was in the house, but I digress.
The highlight of Marsha’s set for me however was her tribute to Prince. You only need one word to describe this, and that’s class. No further superlatives needed. If you have a tendency to show up late to events, do yourself a favor and DON’T, this time around. You won’t regret it. Though Marsha has settled down for the quieter life these days, it’s refreshing to see she still has the same passion & energy for her music as she always did.
As for the main event itself, Maxwell, as he has a habit of doing, delivered the goods. Allow me to preface his set by saying, the audience of the evening was, as expected, of a more refined and baby boomer group, though millennials made an appearance here and there. However, for those millennials in the crowd, if they didn’t understand what their parents meant by, “you were conceived to this”, they were going to find out.
Maxwell opened his set with his newer material, “Pretty Wings”, “Lifetime”, & “Fortunate.” The Haitian-American artist from Brooklyn, NY, managed to captivate and seduce the crowd in a matter of moments. Maxwell then paid homage to all Caribbean immigrants with his Reggae infused remix of “Late by the Ocean.” His band deserves much credit as they were in sync with the stars every movement.
His earlier works however, were what got the crowd up entirely off their feet. From people dancing in the aisles to “Something Something”, & “Til the Cops Come Knocking”, to couples kissing in their chairs like high school students to “Ascension”, “Wherever, Whenever.” There was seduction in the air, and the crowd loved every minute of it as they were instantly reverted back to the days of watching his videos on The Box in 1996.
25 years on from those days, Maxwell hasn’t missed a beat. The rhythmic beats are the perfect musical bed as he belts out sultry vocals giving us a classic neo-soul vibe, that takes you back to the mid 90’s and beyond.
I can’t speak for the fellows, but I’m certain there wasn’t a dissatisfied lady in the house.
Reviewed and photographed by Steven Anthony at the MGM National Harbor.