Miss BG and D-Man picked me up at 6.30pm as promised, in D-Man’s car and we made our way to the venue. The journey took a little while, but we chatted as he drove and passed lots of trick-or-treaters out and about, driving past a particularly impressive house that had its front hedges covered with fake cobwebs and yellow ‘Danger – Keep Out’ tape, with mist hanging in the air around the front garden and a skeleton hanging in the air over the front gate. It was an affluent area, the credit crunch must not be affecting you too badly if you have spare cash to go all-out on your decorations like that, lol.
We finally arrived at about 7.45pm and got a parking space a few minutes’ walk away from the Apollo. The doors had opened at 7.00pm but Miss BG hadn’t heard anything about a support act playing, so we didn’t want to get there too early unnecessarily. We went in, got drinks at the bar upstairs and then found our seats – the far left side of the circle, second row from the front. Heavy. The venue is really good and the view would probably still have been fairly decent even if we were near the back, but it was really nice having such a clear view.
“Oh no,” said D-Man, laughing, “How are you going to get to the stage to try and touch him??!”
“I might need you to launch me off the balcony,” I answered, laughing.
There was a DJ on stage, playing some tunes that took me back to school and sixth-form days in the 90s, and Miss BG and I danced in our chairs and watched the man in front of us nodding his head enthusiastically. It was a really mixed crowd. I don’t know exactly what I expected, but it was definitely an older crowd which was cool, an equal mix of men and women and people of all sorts of ethnic backgrounds. We chit-chatted for a while, then as 9.00pm approached, the lights dimmed and the band appeared on stage to start playing. We were whooping in delight and then the man himself appeared and the crowd went crazy. The concert was sold out and I later learned it had been 11 years since he last performed in London. No wonder I hadn’t been to see him live sooner, I think I only really got into his music in a big way in 2000 or 2001.
He finally appeared on stage in a three-piece suit and sunglasses, without the afro that he has rocked for so many years, but actually looking very sharp for it. There was a full jazz band with backing vocalists that did Maxwell’s songs justice the way no backing track could really do. Me and Miss BG were clapping and dancing along the whole way through, as he started the show with a medley of some of his well-known classics (Sumthin’ Sumthin’, Fortunate, Get To Know Ya, etc.). His voice sounded even better than it does on his records, but I was most surprised by just how limber he is! Dude was breaking out some classic James Brown moves and doing so very well.
The show was amazing. No gimmicks, no frills, no unnecessary dancers or video clips or over-the-top light shows. Just a fantastic set of musicians and an amazing solo performer. It was the best show of this kind that I have ever been to. He played several tracks from his latest album, but also did some crowd favourites, like his stunning cover of Kate Bush’s This Woman’s Work. Things got a little bit hot and steamy when he did Till The Cops Come Knockin’, which a lady in the middle of the stalls stood up and danced enthusiastically to, which Maxwell noticed and showed his appreciation for by reassuring her, “I see you baby, I see you!”
Throughout the whole show, he expressed his appreciation for the support of his fans, for not forgetting about him and apologising for taking so long to release a new LP. Any impatience was forgotten and the delay completely forgiven after this performance. The entire crowd was on their feet for the final song – Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder) – and Maxwell had his whole band come down to take a bow and introduce themselves and name their home towns (St. Louis, LA, Memphis, Cleveland, Miami, New York City), before Maxwell declared that, “Brooklyn will love London for ever and ever.” The show ended with us wanting more; it had been 90 minutes packed full of great music, entertainment and not a single dull moment. The only thing I could fault was the fact that I could have been there for at least another hour without getting bored. The only things Miss BG and I missed was him singing Whenever Wherever Whatever and Luxury/Cococure, but they were only small omissions in an otherwise fantastic show. Despite Maxwell apologising to the men in the audience, because he claimed most of them probably didn’t want to be there, even D-Man admitted it was a brilliant show, saying that he is a classy performer, very smooth, professional and gimmick-free. We listened to his album on the journey home and I was buzzing the whole way and even after I got home, got changed and got in bed. I thanked them both for a great night and for booking the tickets (which I would have missed out on, had Miss BG not booked mine for me due to my lack of cash) and could have skipped up the driveway to my house. It wasn’t even midnight yet and Big Sis and Bro-in-Law weren’t back from their dinner for Bro-in-Law’s parents’ golden anniversary.
I got myself some cereal, got into bed, looked over the photos I had taken and then watched the repeat of the night’s X-Factor, while still feeling the warm glow of having enjoyed a fantastic evening. Ahh, Maxwell, you rocked. You better come back to London, just don’t leave it so long next time!
Clockwise, from top left: Starting the show in full suit and shades; the light show; a blue light special; a silhouette on the right wall; doing a solo under a solo spotlight; the whole crowd on their feet for the last song: Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder).
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