Adam Levine is known for many things, including being a coach on The Voice, his acting career and a recent Oscar performance. Despite all of that and his career reaching an all-time high, Levine has not forgotten the band that helped skyrocket him to stardom. Maroon 5 has stayed together and continues to release hit albums, despite Levine's busy schedule. That feeling of always being a band first and that type of an honest connection cannot be faked and comes across when the band takes the stage.
That energy and passion arrived in Detroit, Michigan last night when Maroon 5, along with Rozzi Crane and MAGIC! came into town with the V tour. Maroon 5 is proving why they are one of the most popular pop/rock bands currently topping the charts with this tour. Maroon 5 takes a venue like the Palace and makes it feel intimate; they take the time to connect with the audience and put on a show that is not soon forgotten.
Fans from all across the state packed the venue early to listen to Rozzi Crane and hear from up-and-coming reggae sensations MAGIC!, who launched onto the music scene with their single “Rude.” MAGIC! had a sense of confidence with their performance and commanded the stage from the moment they arrived.
MAGIC! is made up of Nasri, Mark Pellizzer, Alex Tanas and Ben Spivak. Nasri, the lead singer of the group, worked the crowd and was able to engage everyone with his upbeat performance style and ability to have fun on stage. With this type of natural energy the audience wants to be a part of what MAGIC! is doing. The highlight of their set was “Rude” and their cover of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
After MAGIC! had wrapped up and the stage set up for Maroon 5 was almost complete, the audience couldn’t control themselves. From the front row to the back row, the audience screams built up and everyone was ready to join Team Adam for the night.
Adam Levine and company opened with “Animals” and played for about thirty minutes, seamlessly transitioning in and out of every song. The band didn’t let their energy fall once and it seemed as though as a band, Maroon 5 has really found their stride. From their early albums to V, they have matured as a band and their stage show reflects that. Levine seems more confident than ever as an artist and is at home on stage playing with his band mates.
Other stand out songs from the set list included an acoustic start to "Payphone" and "This Love." The band joined in after the first verse, but it really showed off the depth to the songs and the vocal range of Adam Levine. They also performed "Daylight," "Maps" and "Harder to Breathe."
The show never featured a dull moment and the highlight of the evening was when Levine addressed the crowd during the final moments of the encore. He asked everyone in the audience to put away their cell phones for the first two minutes of "She Will Be Loved." He explained that in this modern age of technology, even though it's a good thing, he wanted everyone to be in this moment with him and keep this for themselves. "She Will Be Loved" was shared with the band and the fans that helped to make that single the smash success it was.
This was a good reminder for everyone in attendance: concerts are meant to be experienced in person. Take the time to really soak in the moment for yourself, dance in the aisles and sing along, live in the moment and experience the live music.
Maroon 5 is at the top of their game musically and the audience last night was able to full experience that while living in the moment, cell phone free.
Image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com