In collaboration with Grammy-nominated soul singer Maysa, 101.1 FM Illinois Soul, Illinois Public Media’s music and culture radio station, held a special concert yesterday at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts as part of its second anniversary celebration.
“MAYSA is the one that we needed, she is one of our core artists, that our audience knows and loves,” said Jill Clements, co-founder and station manager of Illinois Soul. “You can not even put her in a genre, because when she takes the stage, she dominates all genres.”
Clements co-founded Illinois Soul with Reginald Hardwick in February 2024. According to Clements, the station has been filling a void in Black media deserts, especially during a very challenging year marked by uncertainty due to federal funding cuts. Illinois Soul has helped fill that gap by creating a space for stories, culture and support that have long gone without.
That commitment brought listeners together in person. The red, velvety cushion seats of the Tryon Festival Theatre were filled by 7:30 p.m. The audience gathered before the show started while soft R&B tunes played in the background.
As the lights dimmed, Chris Hightower, local Danville comedian and host for the show, opened the evening onstage.
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“I never got to perform at Krannert, this is nice!” Hightower said. “This is a celebration, and don’t nothing make a celebration like good music with friends and family.”
Hightower ignited the room, sending a wave of cheers through the audience as anticipation for Maysa peaked.
As the visuals played, Maysa’s seductive voice echoed in the background.
“This is more than a concert, it’s a celebration of longevity and love,” Maysa said throughout the enticing visuals. “Tonight, we take a musical journey together. Every song tonight is for you.”
Keyboard, bass, drums, saxophone and guitar made up the band as they played various notes and sequences before Maysa made way onto the stage.
“Music for Your Soul,” the title track from her most recent album, was the opening song. The enticing and inviting track allowed the audience to get to know Maysa and her musical styles.
Maysa spoke to the audience at various points throughout the show, telling them about her 35 years in the music industry, starting when she was 24 years old.
Those personal reflections carried seamlessly into the music as she performed “Out of the Blue,” a song dedicated to her only son, Jazz.
Covers brought a sense of familiarity to the room, connecting audiences to the music through well-known classics.
During the cover of “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” saxophonist Carl Cox delivered a featured solo that elevated the tempo of the performance, setting off a long round of applause.
“Just Stay,” a track from her most recent album, followed the covers. According to Maysa, this song showcases her “R&B stripper side.” The track brought up the liveliness in the theatre. Maysa and Cox swayed their hips to the music, adding movement to the performance alongside the vocals and instrumentation.
As the show started coming to a close, Maysa knew to end the show with a bang.
“I want to come back with y’all someday, have longer and some more time,” Maysa said. “Me and the band have a tradition, for this show, the tradition is called the Illinois Soul Funk Party.”
Multicolored lights flickered across the theatre as a surprise segment of the show, titled “Maysa’s Funk Ride,” began, with the words displayed on the background screen as the soul concert shifted into a groovy disco. Maysa encouraged the audience to get up from their seats and let themselves loose.
The audience quickly rose up and danced along as Maysa performed and vocalized through a mix of funky, groovy jazz tracks consisting of “Take Your Time (Do It Right),” “Boogie No More” and “I Wanna Dance All Night.”
For audience members like Ty Lewis, the funk-heavy set transformed the concert into a shared celebration. Lewis immediately got up from her seat and danced within the aisles.
“Beautiful, beautiful spirit, beautiful voice that just really carried through the whole performance,” Lewis said about Maysa and the show. “Soul is in my body. It’s a living thing, that is part of it, just part of who I am.”
That spirit carried into the final moments of the night as Maysa closed the show with “Deep Waters,” the song on which she led vocals during her time with the acid jazz band Incognito. Fans swayed their flashlights side to side as the concert came to an emotional close, capped by a medley of “I Will Always Love You,” “Hello,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It” and “Dream Merchant.”
“My new album is called Milestones, and the first single will be released in March,” Maysa said as she exited. “Thank you so much, Urbana!”
Rounds of applause and cheers followed for both Maysa and Illinois Soul. Audience members broke a sweat from dancing, shed tears to emotional lyrics and left grinning cheek to cheek.
Michelle Gonzales left the concert feeling inspired. Hearing Maysa reflect on her 35-year career as a single mother gave Gonzales a renewed sense of hope for her own future. That sense of gratitude and admiration carried into her reflections after the show.
“I’ve been excited to see the station grow since inception, and with Maysa, the way she told her stories was just brilliant,” Gonzales said. “Soul is everything, generally speaking, to have a radio station that focuses on that, what a gift.”
