20 years after releasing its classic double-album “Live in New Orleans,” stalwart R&B/funk act Maze featuring Frankie Beverly will on Aug. 14 release the set’s video counterpart on DVD. Due Aug. 14 via The Right Stuff/EMI, the majority of the 10-track, 70-minute enhanced 5.1 Surround Sound release is taken from the same two shows captured in November 1980 at the Big Easy’s Saenger Theatre for the original album.
The original double-vinyl album peaked at No. 34 on The Billboard 200 in 1981 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for U.S. shipments of 500,000 copies. That set featured three sides of live material, plus one side of new studio recordings of the songs “Before I Let Go,” “We Need Love to Live,” “Reason,” and “Running Away” (the group later repeated the concept its 1986 “Live in Los Angeles” album).
Half of the tracks on the DVD differ from those on the concert album. Both share “Changing Times,” “Southern Girl,” “Look at California,” “Feel That You’re Feelin’,” and “Joy and Pain” (the latter famously sampled — without permission — as the basis of the 1989 Rob Base hit of the same name). The DVD also includes performances of “You” and “Happy Feelin’s,” while the one live song not included from the original “Live in New Orleans” album is “The Look in Your Eyes.”
Additionally, the DVD will include the video clip for Maze’s 1985 No. 1 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart hit “Back in Stride,” as well as vidoes for “Never Let You Down,” and “We Are One.” Rounding out the release will be a group biography, along with a gallery of photos compiled from Beverly’s personal archives.
Long renowned for its live act, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly continues to actively tour. The group will perform Saturday (July 14) at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte, N.C., and has dates scheduled through early September, including an Aug. 3 show in Clarkston, Mich., with Keith Sweat.
Here are Maze featuring Frankie Beverly’s tour dates:
July 14: Charlotte, N.C. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
July 15: Raleigh, N.C. (Alltel Pavilion @ Walnut Creek)
July 19: Atlanta (Chastain Park Amphitheater)
July 20: Cincinnati (Coors Light Music Festival)
July 25: Richmond, Va. (Landmark Theatre)
July 27: Philadelphia (First Union Center)
July 28: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
July 29: Raleigh, N.C. (Alltel Pavilion @ Walnut Creek)
Aug. 3: Clarkston, Mich. (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
Aug. 4: Rosemont, Ill. (Allstate Arena)
Aug. 5: Cleveland (State Theatre)
Aug. 10: Las Vegas (Cox Pavilion)
Aug. 11: Phoenix (Celebrity Theatre)
Aug. 25: Trenton, N.J. (Jazz Festival)
Sept. 1: Detroit (Comerica Park)
