By ANDREW WHITE and ANGELA TUCK
An Atlanta favorite returned to Chastain Park Amphitheatre Saturday night after what lead singer and iconic performer Frankie Beverly said had been too long.
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly didn't disappoint their legion of fans as well as a number of people who were hearing them for the first time. Beverly, who said the group had been performing for 45 years, was wearing his trademark cap.
He kicked off his nearly two-hour set with "Laid Back Kind of Guy" and built to fan favorites such as "Joy and Pain" and "Southern Girl."
Fans knew the drill, wearing their white outfits as a nod to Beverly, 68, who frequently wears casual white gear.
R&B crooner Brian McKnight opened the concert singing many of his fan favorites. Then Maze hit the stage to an eruption of applause.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, joined on stage by his mother, Sylvia Reed, gave the group the city's "Phoenix Award" recognizing their longtime association with the city and the "happy feelings" they bring whenever they come. Sylvia Reed note that Maze has performed 13 times in Atlanta during her son's two terms as mayor.
Songs such as “Before I Let Go” took the crowd back to days spent at family reunions, cookouts and birthday parties. There was a lot of slow dancing and two-stepping going on amongst the tables, which were loaded with candles, food and beverages.
Beverly said the band, originally formed in Philadelphia, was happy to be back in Atlanta, one of his favorite places to play. Several band members played guitar and bass solos on their many classic jams.
The band, which sounds just as good as it did in the late 1970s, is in the middle of a hectic touring schedule which includes the Essence Music Festival Fourth of July weekend.
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