Soaring vocals, check. Slick moves, check. Stage charisma, check. 27-year-old triple threat MAX was full on bona-fide pop star at the intimate Retro Gate in Singapore last Saturday night on his The Intimate AF Tour stop.
Unquestionably one of the most energetic shows I have attended, MAX cruised through song after song with ease and undivided attention. Having heard of the charismatic performer since his early days on the 2012 Nickelodean original musical film Rags alongside Keke Palmer, I was eager to witness the musical theatre trained performer and MAX did not disappoint.
Even with a smaller than expected crowd, fans turned up full force, filling up the room with their resonant voices. We danced, sang, waved our arms and swooned as MAX brought all feel good positive vibes to a rather mellow venue. His music can be rather formulaic, but there was never a dull moment with the spirited performer and his three-piece band consisting of a bassist, saxophonist and drummer.
Crowd favourites were tracks like Satisfied, Mug Shot, Sex on the beach and Acid Dreams.
Amidst the occasional microphone technical difficulties and rather loud sound, MAX brought the house down with his infectious energy. He sticks out his tongue on occasion, looks you in the eye and fluidly grooves through his rather short 60-minute set.
It is evident that the multi-talented performer has been touring arenas and larger venues, but he still played a larger than life show in the cozy vintage clothing store to a crowd of about 70 that sounded like 2,000 – a true professional.
The band ended the night with two encore songs Gibberish and Checklist before MAX high fived fans in the front row to mark the end of the night. If anything, I left the venue enthralled and curious as to why MAXβs fanbase in Singapore has remained this small over the years, but confident that it is only a matter of time before the region catches on to this spunky firebolt performer.
Thank you Adapt and Live Nation for the opportunity to experience MAX live.
