Max Schneider, the singer, actor, and dancer best known as MAX, embarked on a special three-city, nine-night tour officially named MAX: The Lounge, The Party, The Afterparty. A Three Night Experience. In the beginning of January MAX revealed that his upcoming shows would deliver three distinct performances per city, each with a unique theme. Night one, “The Lounge,” promised an intimate acoustic performance with some additional surprises. Night two, “The Party,” showcased his usual high-energy rock-star performance, while night three, “The Afterparty,” featured a dance-all-night EDM-themed set. The tour stopped at New York’s iconic Bowery Ballroom from February 23 to 25, and during ticket sales, MAX announced that all proceeds from the tour, both tickets and merchandise, would be donated to support LA wildfire relief efforts. He also invited first responders and their families to attend his shows for free to thank them for their service.
Supporting the night one performance were two New York-based musicians, REBBY and AYUMU IMAZU. Rebby kicked off the evening with her smooth, jazzy vocals, accompanied by fellow musician Cody Dear on keyboard. After a short and sweet setlist, including a few anecdotes about their musical friendship, Cody Dear introduced their final song – a new track they created together called “Three Little Words.” To everyone’s delight, drummer Ichi Tanabe joined them on stage to perform the finale. REBBY expressed her gratitude to her adoring friends and fans in the audience before turning the microphone over to AYUMU for the next portion of the show.
Japanese singer-songwriter AYUMU IMAZU arrived on stage a few minutes later and quickly introduced himself before sharing about his musical journey. He explained that he was born in Japan but moved to the U.S. at age fourteen to pursue his education. Although he came here to study, he quickly became immersed in music and dance instead. AYUMU humorously recounted how MAX had literally slid into his DMs, praising his songs as “dope,” and then expressed his excitement about being invited on tour to support MAX.
AYUMU performed a succinct setlist that included songs like “THRIFTED,” “BANDAGE,” and “Obsessed,” along with a cover of the popular city-pop song “Stay With Me” by Miki Matsubara. Towards the end he thanked the audience and exclaimed, “It’s bonkers to be here and open [for MAX]!” Both Rebby and AYUMU’s chill performances warmed up the crowd perfectly for MAX’s main performance.
Since “The Lounge” was a more relaxed night, band members Cody Dear, Ichi Tanabe, and Ryan Siegel (aka RyanEXOE) casually strolled onto the stage and settled in behind their instruments, signaling to fans that the set was about to begin. Moments later, MAX appeared in a flurry of movement wearing a striking white faux fur coat, as the opening chords of “Acid Dreams” blared from the speakers. The energy in the room surged to match MAX’s vigor as he bounced across the stage, and he kept the momentum going by launching right into the next fan-favorite, “Blueberry Eyes.” A few tracks later, AYUMU joined him in the spotlight for a fun rendition of “STUPID IN LOVE.”
Slowing down the vibe a little, MAX introduced his newly purchased acoustic guitar and announced he would perform an unreleased song titled “The Thing I Love,” which only those attending night one would get to hear. Fans were thrilled by the surprise and pulled out their phones to record the moment.
MAX then continued on with more popular tracks from his discography, such as “Love Me Less” and “BUTTERFLIES.” At one point, he jokingly mentioned that because of so much positive energy coming from the fans, he felt a strong desire to crowd surf, but he decided it wouldn’t be appropriate for the mood of the night. The audience cheered in encouragement, but ultimately he resisted the urge, laughing it off. Midway through his set, he introduced a beautiful cover of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” inviting REBBY to join him on stage for a lovely duet.
Taking another moment to relax and connect with the audience, MAX shared an amusing story about how firefighters were recently admiring his wife, which inspired him to write a new song called “Love My Girl.” He then energized the crowd again with a fun medley performance of “GUCCI BAG/New Life,” intermingling a few fan suggestions such as “Basement Party,” “SUMMER ’16,” and more throughout the mash-up.
To wind down the evening, MAX invited a sweet couple to slow dance in the spotlight for “IT’S YOU,” requesting everyone to turn their phone lights on to create a sea of stars around them. Finally, wasting no time, MAX announced he would dive straight into the encore without pause, closing out the night with his high-energy track, “WASABI.”
Unable to resist the urge any longer, MAX took a leap into the audience to crowd surf for the final moments of the memorable evening. He then expressed gratitude and reminded everyone to return for night two, waving and blowing kisses as he departed the stage. Be sure to join the fun and catch MAX for the final three shows of the MAX: The Lounge, The Party, The Afterparty. A Three Night Experience. tour in Los Angeles from March eight through ten.
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