November 19, 2022 (wrote for Melophile Media)
— This show was unexpectedly amazing. From the questionable venue to the nice lighting and sound, MAX held a shocking performance that night. When I pulled up to the venue, it looked like a questionable place. On the outside, it was small and uninviting. It presented itself as more of a hometown bar than a venue. MAX has played bigger venues in the past so this sight confused me. However, the inside made up for it. When I walked into The Orpheum, I was quite impressed. The main part of the building consisted of a small stage on the far right, a disco ball hanging from the center of the ceiling and to the left of the stage was where they held the merch booths. Further down the hall, led to the outside patio which revealed a bigger stage. That is where MAX would be performing later that night. It really gave off a “backyard party with all of your friends” kind of vibe, as MAX described it. The longer I was here, the more I realized that this was a perfect location for him. MAX is a very intimate, personal artist.
Once I got parked, I waited in line for a few hours. There wasn’t much communication from the workers on where to go or where to stand, so the line was a mixture of VIP and general admission. This caused it to be a little stressful closer to the doors opening. However, it was straightened out pretty fast once it was time for VIP. I had VIP pass which consisted of a tour of the tour bus and the regular VIP B meet and greet picture.. MAX only allowed 6 people on his bus which made the experience more intimate and personal. On the Tour bus , we all were able to talk to him and share personal stories as well as hear sneak peaks of his new album that he’s working on. If you are a MAX fan, you are definitely going to love the new album. He also shared some songs he kept to himself and has no plan on releasing them anytime soon. I’m not going to give out any spoilers but let's just say they’re are some good collabs in the vault that may hopefully be released in the future!
After the VIP experience, everyone lined up at the barricade. The Orpheum was spacious and you could stand anywhere to see. This night started off special since it was MAX’s opener, Sara Kays, last show touring with him and it was the first outdoor venue MAX has performed at on this tour. Sara Kays put on an amazing show and even stayed after wards to perform a song with MAX.. After she got off stage, MAX was finally ready to perform. Since he as already performed in Florida two times prior to Tampa, he was very laid back. He made jokes throughout the show and even got in the crowd. His energy was still top notch and insane. He was everywhere on that stage. Throughout the show, he would thank us for being there and say he appreciates how “spicy” the crowd was. MAX’s ending finally was inviting Sara Kays out to crowd surf for the first time. What an incredible way to end a show! Overall, this show was spectacular. Besides the lack of communication with the venue workers, everything else was amazing. The sound was spot on and the lights weren’t too much. MAX and his team put on a great show! I highly recommend seeing MAX live once in your lifetime.
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