Venue: National Stadium, Singapore
Date: 7th March 2019
Promoter: Live Nation Singapore
Review by: Anna F.
Special Thanks: The Live Nation SG team
With the band’s last performance here at the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix, it goes without saying that their return was highly anticipated, as anyone would know just looking at the neverending snaking lines leading into the standing pens alone. The crowd turnout was astounding but a clear testament to the popularity the Los Angeles pop rock band has grown into over the years.
The night started with the opening scene from the Back to the Future movie, with Michael J. Fox setting up an electric guitar and cranking it up to maximum volume, transitioning very appropriately into the band appearing on stage in complete darkness, launching into “What Lovers Do”.
Hot off their harshly critiqued Superbowl halftime performance, Maroon 5 – made up of Adam Levine on vocals, James Valentine on lead guitar, Jesse Carmichael on keyboards and rhythm guitar, Mickey Madden on bass, Matt Flynn on drums, PJ Morton on keyboards, and the newest addition, Sam Farrar on synths and everything else – wasted no time showing us what they got.
Currently on the Red Pill Blues Tour, in support of their sixth studio album with the same name, the septet performed songs spanning their illustrious 25-year career, and included most of the hits like “Animals”, “Girls Like You”, “Sugar”, “Misery”, and of course, “She Will Be Loved” – albeit acoustic – and “Sunday Morning”, the latter two off their debut album titled Songs About Jane.
Levine switched back and forth with his shirtless status, and kept his shirt off for “One More Night”, just in time for the lyric “Got you stuck on my body, on my body like a tattoo”. The charming frontman also made sure not to hog all the limelight and spent a good amount of time introducing everyone on stage, letting them showcase the expanse of their abilities by giving them some deserved airtime.
The “This Love” solo saw Adam running across the runway, to the squeals of thousands of fangirls (and boys) who were thrilled to see the heavily tattooed frontman a little bit clearer. He wasn’t just a pretty face too, masterfully exhibiting his own skills on the guitar, all while interacting with the crowd and laying down the vocals with ease and showing no sign of diffidence at all. What was most impressive was all the high notes he hit so effortlessly that everyone in the audience didn’t know what else to do but gawk.
The chatter was kept to a minimum, seeing that they intended to cover as many songs as possible, but the singer did have one request to make. “I have a favour to ask. See over there? Those empty seats. No one bought those tickets. I want you guys to tell a friend how much you loved the show tonight because the next time we come back here, we’re gonna fill all those seats over there,” he said, and the packed stadium only roared in response.
For the encore, the band started with a cover of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” and segued into “Girls Like You”, their latest single off Red Pill Blues, complete with the music video playing on the screens. They then proceeded to end the night on a sweet note with “Sugar”, off their fifth studio album, V.
From the insane drum solos and fills by Flynn, to the noticeable attention to detail instrument-wise by the rest of the guys, it was all a little overwhelming, especially since it didn’t seem like they even stopped for a breather once. And, not forgetting Levine’s undeniable showmanship, swoon-worthy vocals, and gyrating moves.
Yes, please.