I viewed the Maroon 5 concert performance from the 2014 iTunes Music Festival. Maroon 5 is a Pop-Rock band from Los Angeles, CA, fronted by lead singer, Adam Levine, who is also one of the judges on the NBC television series, The Voice. They hit the music scene in 2004 and won their first Grammy in 2005 for “Best New Artist”. They have gone on to score six number one singles and had one of the highest grossing tours in 2015 (maroon5.com). They are considered one of the biggest mainstays in the history of Pop music.
Maroon 5’s concert performance at the 2014 iTunes Music Festival as a whole was indicative of why they have been one of Pop music’s most popular and beloved bands over the past decade. The show opened with the band entering the stage in near complete darkness and the crowd erupting. They opened with a song that was not one of their most popular but the crowd went crazy as Adam Levine began to sing. They transitioned into “This Love”, a single off of their 2002 debut release, Songs About Jane. The song was performed true to form as heard on the record. Levine was entertaining throughout the piece. He commanded the stage and worked the crowd in true entertainer fashion. He asked the crowd to sing along, which they did without fail, and he stopped singing as they took over for the main chorus. He grabbed an electric guitar near the end of the song and wowed the audience with an impressive guitar solo.
The band did a rendition of their famous song, “Sunday Morning”. Levine slid into a full-on kneel early into the song which drew a big reaction of cheers out of the crowd. Levine’s falsetto and range on this song was incredible. He transitioned with ease from his familiar alto sound to a high falsetto without hesitation. He threw in some soul-infused runs that drove the crowd wild and showcased his immense talent. The song drew to a close as Levine continued to do a variety of runs right along with it.
At the conclusion of the song, Levine began to talk to the crowd and made note that the concert was being broadcast in 700 million countries as he put it. He began to sip tea and said he was drinking it out of respect for the millions watching around the world. He fumbled with his mic stand which had become unstable and shaky from using it as a prop during the show. At one point he had hoisted it up over his head as he sang. As a side note, many singers drink tea as it helps to soothe their vocals before and during singing. According to Sigman (2010), proper hydration is critical to optimum vocal projection when singing.
To that end, Adam Levine has impeccable vocals that are second to none. He has a range that can take him from his familiar alto sound to falsetto without any difficulty. He makes what he does look easy. Levine is not so much an entertainer as he is an accomplished musician and talented vocalist. He is not like the Davie Bowie’s or Mick Jagger’s of our time. He parades and dances around on stage but showmanship is not so much his forte. It is evident from his showing in this concert performance that Levine is more concerned with delivery of vocals and raw emotions that each song has to offer than getting caught up in being a traditional front-man that wows the crowd. Despite his lack of showmanship as compared to his predecessors, the crowd still goes wild and Levine manages to command the audience without fail.
While it is no secret that Adam Levine is what gives Maroon 5 that special appeal, he could not be the stand-out performer that he is without the efforts of the band accompanying him. The rest of Maroon 5 all meshed well together throughout the show. Their performance was solid and tight. They played to Levine’s cues without missing a beat and turned out as professional a performance as concertgoers could ask for.
Throughout the show the audience was engaged from the first note played to the very end. It was a smaller audience by comparison to big arena shows. However, they were captivated by Levine, oftentimes singing along to many of the familiar Maroon 5 tunes in unison. It was evident the audiences’ keen interest in the show was both recognized and acknowledged by Levine and band on many occasions. The energy from the audience was contagious and emanated a positive, upbeat vibe that could not be ignored. Their reaction added to the overall enjoyment of the concert.
I have been a huge Maroon 5 fan since their beginning in 2004. From a personal perspective this was one of their best concerts to date and left me with a feeling of wanting the show to go on in the end. They are the kind of band I never get tired of listening to. Adam Levine has an amazing ability to capture an audience in ways like no other performer can. What I enjoyed most about this concert performance is that Maroon 5 gave the audience a true to form performance where every song was played as closely to the original radio versions that are familiar to their fans. My philosophy has always been if a song is already good there is no need to change it up during a show for the sake of trying to make it sound unique and different. Fans pay a lot of money to see their favorite artists perform the songs they love. I am glad Maroon 5 puts their fans first in every aspect and makes their music about the fans. Overall, this was one of the best live concert performances I have ever seen. Even though I viewed this online, by comparison to live shows I have been to this one ranked up there as being pretty high. I am not one for bells and whistles from popular artists and bands when performing live. I always enjoy seeing their showmanship that is demonstrated through their creative talent in their music. Any artist can be a great entertainer but what makes Maroon 5 so special and in a class by themselves is their ability to keep the music in the proper perspective, never allowing their fame to get in the way of what made them famous…the music.
- Maroon 5-Bio. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2016, from http://www.maroon5.com/about
- Sigman, Matthew. “Keeping Singers Well.” Voice of Chorus America 34.2 (2010): 4-8. Music Index. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
