United by a commitment to traditionalism, Mary J. Blige and Maxwell delivered sets distinguished by differences in style and intent Wednesday at a packed United Center. Playing the last concert of a world tour, the co-headlining soul contemporaries also drew from spiritual devices without directly invoking a higher power.
For Blige, the appearance served as an opportunity to put her life on trial. In the midst of a painful public divorce, the 45-year-old Bronx native embraced the personal at all costs. She turned deep-seated anguish, anger and frustration into triggers for courage, independence and perseverance. A majority of songs, both new and older — “Thick of It,” “Love Yourself,” “Take Me As I Am” — seemed ripped from the pages of a tell-all autobiography.
Onstage, Blige remains a rarity — a vulnerable, relatable star. She eliminated any need to have to read between the lines. Her messages were clear, her statements empowering, her bond with strong-willed women unbreakable. Blige sang with raw-nerve gusto and maintained a breathless pace. Still capable of delivering passages with hurricane-force potency or scat-jazz coolness, she relished grit and boldness, viewing the music as the means to challenge detractors and transcend struggles.
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“Not Gon’ Cry” seethed with wounded defiance and ended with the singer riffing on a line to underline her resolve. An explosive “No More Drama” witnessed Blige bouncing in a crouched position before falling to her knees and practicing a close alternative to primal-scream therapy. “The One” sizzled with hip-hop swagger and cautioned anyone who dared cross her. Throughout her 90-minute show, the sharply dressed singer kept the mood classy and upbeat.
“I’m a soldier,” she repeated on several occasions. Refusing to bow to the darkness surrounding her situation, Blige found refuge in love — as well as plenty of hope to fight another day.
In contrast to Blige’s intensity, Maxwell brought candlelight intimacy and old-school romance. Wearing a three-piece suit, black tie and sunglasses, the Brooklyn-born singer valued elegance and sensitivity. His exotic, crushed-velvet falsetto conveyed richness in the same way his smooth dance steps evoked sophistication. Cradled inside semiorchestral arrangements, manicured R&B tunes such as “Bad Habits” and “Lake by the Ocean” came on as the equivalent of five-star luxury: sleek, detailed, dignified.
At their most effective, Maxwell’s songs effortlessly glided while providing subtle glimpses of tension underneath (“1990x,” “Pretty Wings”). Oddly, however, the vocalist primarily ignored his recent album and never locked into a consistent groove. The laid-back, relatively short 75-minute set further indicated he should have opened rather than closed a concert punctuated by purity and emotion.
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