Maxwell wants me (or so it felt like it)

Ladies, before you head out to a Maxwell concert, make sure to grab an extra pair of panties – preferably new – because he wants them.

But only if you are single.

That’s what he expressed to the audience Tuesday night during his performance at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Throughout the hour-and-a-half show, Maxwell danced, got down on his knees and laid down on the ground, asking “Oakland, is it OK if you lay on top of me tonight?”

I’m sure every woman in there (including the married, engaged or just living together) imagined she was on the stage at that moment.

I know did. Actually, I imagined myself on that stage the entire evening. Maxwell is one fine piece of a man. What’s better than looking scrumptious and being able to sing?

I’m digressing.

It’s been seven looooonnnnnggggg years since Maxwell released an album. That didn’t matter though. His show Tuesday night was sold out; another was added on Wednesday.

Maxwell knew it had been a long time – he said as much – and he was really appreciative of people still coming out to see him despite not having released an album or single.

The first and last time I saw Maxwell in concert was 2001. I remember standing the entire time, and screaming – a lot.

This time was no different. Maxwell started the set with Get to Know Ya and asked us if we wanted to get nasty and sexy.

We did.

Throughout the evening, the audience stood and sat through Lifetime, This Woman’s Work, Sumthin’, Sumthin’, Ascension (Don’t You Ever Wonder), Al Green’s Simply Beautiful, which he performed at the BET Awards earlier this year, and Fortunate.

After previewing a song from his forthcoming album Black Summer’s Night. he said, “Thank you for not throwing tomatoes. It’s a brand new song and sometimes brand new songs are annoying to listen to.”

Only because we don’t know the words yet.

I didn’t realize Maxwell had a comedic side to him. He had the audience laughing throughout the evening, especially when he said, “I’m setting you up tonight, brothas. You are going to get the best piece of something!”

He then dedicated the next song he sung to “the future panties that will be thrown on stage tonight.”

The one thing I really appreciated about this show was him singing the entire song. No cutting out the second verse and jumping to the last one. We were treated to every word.

I also liked the fact that at the end of the show, each band member introduced themselves.

The only disappointment of the evening was not hearing Matrimony: Maybe You. It’s probably my favorite Maxwell song. Well, I love Each Hour Each Second Each Minute Each Day too, but I didn’t expect him to sing that.

As for his opening act Jazmine Sullivan, she should have a conversation with her sound people because I could hardly understand a word she said. This is unfortunate because had she sounded better, I may have bought her album.

Mary J. Blige is definitely Just Fine

There has only been two times I’ve been to a concert and sang and danced so hard that I felt like I was going to pass out.

The first was earlier this year at the Heart of the City Tour co-headlined by Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z. The second was this past Saturday at the Love Soul Tour featuring Robin Thicke and starring Mary J. Blige.

Guess who almost had me on the floor both times?

I’ve seen Mary a total of three times, and each instance has been a different experience. I just saw her five months ago and Saturday’s performance was completely different than April’s. For an artist to change up her show in a matter a months speaks volumes because it probably would have been easier to just stick with the same show.

When I heard Mary was coming back to the Bay Area, I convinced my sister, Regina, to fly out for the concert (for some reason, the tour bypassed Denver) because she’s never seen Mary live before. I’ll venture to say she’s not sorry about the airfare she paid!

I’ve been pumped for this concert since the day I bought the tickets – part of that excitement was the great seats I was able to secure. After sitting in the nosebleed section at the Heart of the City Tour, I made a promise to myself to always get the best seats possible – as long as I can afford it.

Before the show, I was concerned about how well Robin Thicke would do. Having seen him on the BET Awards, I wasn’t sure he would be able to come across well in a big venue.

I was wrong.

Robin came out strong and finished the same. I’m not a major fan of his, but I was on my feet when he sang Magic, Can You Believe and Lost Without You. This is bad, but the thing that stuck out most in my mind about Robin’s show is how fine his drummer and guitarist were!

Many times my friends said “Look at the drummer!” The camera person must have thought the same thing because he/she kept focusing on him.

As the lights dimmed to let the audience know Mary was coming, a countdown to her performance was displayed on jumbo screens. You could feel the electricity in the air because everyone knew we were about to witness a performance we would never forget.

Mary came out swinging with Grown Woman (off Growing Pains) and for the next two hours she kept the energy level high, moving from Love Is All We Need to Be Happy to Real Love to Love No Limit (the remix) to Mary Jane (All Night Long) with ease.

If you are a true Mary fan, you know all these songs are off her first three albums – What’s The 411, My Life and Share My World. There’s nothing better than an artist revisiting where it all began.

It’s funny because, before the concert my sister and I were listening to Mary’s older albums and discussing what she may sing. Regina called it when she said Mary would go old school, and she sang many of the songs we wished she would.

Performing like a woman who is definitely comfortable in her own skin, it’s obvious she’s in great shape (no heavy breathing between songs) and she looked absolutely fabulous in her all black ensemble.

During the break (in which she changed into an all-white outfit with gray boots), a montage of the songs she couldn’t fit in were shown on a screen. The video clip ends flashing 1975 and playing Roy Ayers’ Everybody Loves the Sunshine.

Mary then appeared back on stage, lying on a couch, singing My Life. It was by far one of the best moments of the evening.

Other memorable moments include Take Me As I Am, Work That, Enough Cryin and No More Drama. I don’t know how Mary was jumping around on stage in those grey high heeled boots, but she absolutely worked it!

The anthem for my life right now is Just Fine, and knowing this would be the last song, I was prepared to go crazy. I can still hear Mary in my head singing: “So I like what I see when I’m looking at me/when I’m walking past the mirror/don’t stress through the night at a time in my life/ain’t worried about if you feel it/got my head on straight, I got my vibe right/I ain’t gonna let you kill it/see I wouldn’t change my life, my life’s just fine/fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine oooooh!”

If her performance is any indication of what’s going on in Mary’s life, it is indeed just fine!

Throughout the night, I kept looking over at my sister to gauge her enjoyment level. It appeared she was in her own world, mesmerized like most everyone else.

At the end of the show, all of us had to stop and catch our breath. We knew what we had just experienced would stay with us for a long time to come.

Note: Right before Mary took the stage, a video was shown for the organization she founded earlier this year – the Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now Inc. (FFAWN). According to the Web site, the foundation is “dedicated to helping all women gain the confidence and skills they need to reach their full individual potential.”

CD alert!
Kindred the Family Soul drops a new album tomorrow (Oct. 21). Called The Arrival the first single from their third release is House of Love. I love this husband and wife duo and hope you will support their wonderful music by buying the CD.

Leave Mr. DJ alone

I have a friend who is a disc jockey, a k a DJ. For more than 20 years DJ O (most people call him Rodney) has been spinning records at clubs, parties and weddings.

I’ve known DJ O for five years. We became acquainted after he became my barber (he’s a jack of all trades).

During the course of our friendship, which turned into a relationship and is now back to a friendship, I’ve had the pleasure of accompanying him to various DJ gigs. I’ve been to numerous weddings (the stories I could tell), many clubs and a few birthday parties.

I’ve come to this conclusion – it is very annoying when people bother the DJ.

I used to be one of those people who would walk up to the DJ booth and request this song and that song. I’d stand there until the DJ would play my song and then go back to dancing.

I don’t do that anymore.

After seeing more than one drunk person come up and ask for that “song” – as if DJ O should instantly know what “song” they are talking about – I’ve determined that you should leave the DJ alone.

DJing is not easy work. You have to make sure each song flows into the next one and you have about one to two minutes to find that next song. Shifting through records, pulling it out the sleeve, dropping it on the turntable and finding just the right spot for the song to begin is a skill I’ve come to admire and appreciate.

Although DJ O now uses a laptop, the premise is still the same – he has to scroll through thousands of songs and find the right one before the one currently playing stops.

Try doing that for hours at a time – while standing.

Music is what makes any party and if the DJ becomes annoyed, the party can go downhill quick. Not saying I’ve witness this with DJ O – he’s the utmost professional – but there have been a few times he’s told people to just relax and enjoy themselves.

I remember one time he was working a party and the birthday girl was so worried about people dancing that she spent a better part of the night telling DJ O what to play. She didn’t realize that her so called “friends” weren’t interested in dancing – they just came for the free food and liquor.

The next time you’re at a party or grooving at the club, please resist the urge to make a special request. Chances are your song will eventually be played. And if it isn’t, go home, put your song on and turn up the volume like you are still at the party.

There’s nothing better than dancing in the middle of your living room!

Upcoming concert alert!
I began 2008 seeing Chris Botti at Yoshi’s in San Francisco and I will end it seeing him at Yoshi’s in Oakland. He’s playing at both venues and trust me when I say tickets will sell out for ALL shows.