Maxwell performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Oct. 25, 2024.

OAKLAND — With five albums through the years, Maxwell has plenty of material to pull from, even though his last release was back in 2016. The Grammy-winning vocalist brought his Serenade Tour to Oakland Arena on Friday, on a self-proclaimed mission to “bring real singing back.”

Maxwell’s set kicked off with his band, led by guitarist Hod David, on a black multitiered stage. All were dressed in sand-colored outfits, matching Maxwell, who popped up on a smaller stage behind the floor seats, his silk robe billowing thanks to some well-placed fans in the floor. He descended the smaller stage, singing Al Green’s “Simply Beautiful” as he slowly made his way through the crowd.

Upon reaching the main stage, he continued with “Get to Know You,” from 2001 album Now. He looked to be in good spirits, smiling and dancing, and his voice seemed unaffected by vocal injuries that required surgery a few years ago.

Maxwell performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Oct. 25, 2024.

“Lake By The Ocean” from 2016’s blackSUMMER’snight, got an added flair of Caribbean rhythms as Maxwell danced, dipping lowin the process. He singled out one backing singer, performing a seductive dance with her.

Up next was “Sumthin’ Sumthin’,” from his 1996 debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite. Some overzealous fans must have become a bit too charged, and security responded in kind until the singer told them off.

“Tell these security to leave these people alone! They paid good money!” he called out to his stage crew. He then traded in his bucket hat for a baseball cap and continued on with “Matrimony” at center stage before getting back into the groove with another Urban Hang Suite cut, “Dance with Me.” The guitar and bass had an instrumental exchange that was amplified by the organ.

A more funky, bluesy rendition of “Bad Habits,” from 2009’s BLACKsummers’night, was delivered with a jazz organ solo. After singing the uptempo track with gusto, he basked in the cheers with his hands on his chest.

“Y’all don’t play out here?” he said.

Jazmine Sullivan performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Oct. 25, 2024.

Next, the band congregated to the front of the stage.

“Now this is the ‘tiny desk’ portion of the show,” he said, sitting down on a stool for several downtempo tracks, including 1998’s “Whenever, Wherever, Whatever,” duetting with another vocalist and ad-libbing lyrics before each chorus.

He dedicated “Fistful of Tears” to women who struggle with feeling beautiful enough, then briefly left the stage while his musicians played a short interlude. Returning with a few long-stemmed roses, he handed them out to the front row and continued with “Was My Girl.” He saved his biggest hits for last, performing “Lifetime,” “Fortunate” and “Ascension” back-to-back before ending with “Pretty Wings.”

Vocalist Jazmine Sullivan preceded Maxwell, flanked by her band and a trio of backing singers. Starting off alone in front of a curtain with “10 Seconds,” from 2010’s Love Me Back, she commanded the stage with her powerfully raspy voice. The curtain dropped, revealing the band, which kicked into the first notes of “Bust Your Windows.” A string section enhanced the drama of the song, and Sullivan gestured emotively to emphasize the words.

October London performs at Oakland Arena in Oakland on Oct. 25, 2024.

Sullivan continued working through her material, at times removing her shades, dancing and gesturing.

“Thank you so much for supporting R&B and soul music,” she said at one point.

Other highlights included “Hurt Me So Good,” from the expanded edition of 2021’s Heaux Tales, and a spate of hits with which she ended her set, like “Let It Burn,” “Need U Bad” and “Pick Up Your Feelings.”

Indiana singer-songwriter October London (Jared Samuel Erskine) opened the show with a retro set of Motown-flavored songs, mostly from his 2023 album, The Rebirth of Marvin.

Appearing in a sharp black suit and tie, he was every bit the top-notch crooner.

“The mics are on tonight,” he announced (staying true to Maxwell’s missing to bring real singing back), joined by a guitarist who played along to a backing track, alongside a small table with a glass of amber liquid and a cigar. Highlights included “Mullholland Drive” and “Back to Your Place.” October London also shouted out his label boss, Snoop Dogg.

Follow Mel Bowman at Twitter.com/melmichel and Instagram.com/coco_michel_coco. Follow photographer Derek Fisher at Instagram.com/dfishswish.