What can I say about FB&M that hasn't already been said. Their sound is soulful, sexy and satisfying. A collection of timeless melodies and meaningful verses that uplift and inspire. One of my favorite songs that I play often, especially when I'm on the open road, is "Golden time of Day". You'll only understand how I feel about this song, after you've found yourself in that golden time of day that FB is singing about. Then, and only then, will you understand.
For the sake of repeating their full names about a million times thoughout this recap, I will reference them as FB&M and when I'm referring to Frankie Beverly, I'll type FB. I hope it works for everyone because this is suppose to be short and sweet! xoxo
I was excited about seeing them perform for a lot of reasons. In my neighborhood, as a kid, Maze was one of the greats. We would call them either Maze or FB. It didn't matter because they were one and the same. We never called the group by their full name. To do so, meant you just wasn't hip. Back in the day, my older sister's girlfriend called her and was crying about how FB came back to Philly (to visit or perform) and didn't spend any time with her. In my innocent mind, I'm thinking... if she was crying about it, she must have been FB's girlfriend! O, MG, he had become like family at that very moment. My sister's girlfriend... is FB's girlfriend! There was no need to be formal, or hip. He was family. It went over well with my crew at school the next day!
FB spoke to us about moving from Philly to the Bay Area and being discovered by Marvin Gaye in a small club in San Francisco. He said the first thing Marvin told them to do, was to get rid of their name "Raw Soul". He helped them get a contract with Capital Records where their name was changed to FB&M. Marvin definitely knew what he was talking about. I would love to have been old enough to see Marvin Gaye do anything! If I was able to get an interview with FB&M Saturday night, I would have asked them about Marvin Gaye and what their relationship as like. I'd also ask about the famous hand-Maze (double palmed, 6 fingers, 1 thumb). I would want to know the who's, when's and why's about this unique piece of art.Frankie said he was 63 years old and had been in the industry for 40 years. He still looks good in his staple white pants, white shirt and famous white cap. Regardless of their age, they were still able to move us with timeless music like "Joy and Pain", "Silky Soul", "Southern Girl", and "Happy Feelings". We danced in our seats, in the isles, and with each other.
Can I just tell you that the energy in the Nokia theater was one of love and unity! Maze played "We are One" and people stood and sung it as if it were the national anthem. We were swaying, singing, waving our hands in the air, and looking around to see everyone else who was feeling it and what they were doing. I was able to find footage of Maze's performance of "Golden Time of Day" on youtube which was as close as it gets to what I witnessed Saturday night! ENJOY!
This was a good old fashion concert where you came there looking good and left feeling good. I wonder how many people played Maze after leaving the show as background music giving meaning to their song... "Love is the Key". I found this video of Maze performing "Love is the Key" back when we could see Marvin Gaye's influence and before we realized how much he loves white. xoxo
