As one of the more popular, chart-riding acts of the past decade, it was no surprise that Maroon 5 would pack an arena the size of UIC Pavilion on a Wednesday, at a time when concert ticket sales have been less than stellar. And armed with a set comprising a bevy of big hits, the band gave fans enough sing-along fodder to tide them over until Maroon 5’s next radio single makes the airwaves.
The group has worked a bit of street cred along the way, too, releasing a 2008 remix album of its music reinterpreted by the likes of ?uestlove, Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson and Of Montreal, among others. But it’s the group’s straight-ahead hits that drew the crowd, and Maroon 5 happily delivered.
Maroon 5 isn’t sonically adventurous (unlike openers OneRepublic, who while mining similar mainstream territory, had more intriguing arrangements and instrumentation). Maroon 5 did, however, attempt to kick things up a notch. New song “Stutter” rocked a little harder live with its catchy hooks, while earlier tunes such as “Wake Up Call” housed toothier riffs live. The turn to a rock-infused delivery could be attributed to having utilized renowned producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange on the group’s recent “Hands All Over” album. But whatever the reason, the extra punch added some heft to the mix, which didn’t supersede the band’s lack of variation. So many songs sounded the same. Sure, Maroon 5’s polished formula has translated to hits, but it also made the material less distinguishable. Even the heavier-handed rock treatments happened toward the end of most songs, as if the band had something to prove before launching into the next tune.
Frontman Adam Levine was at ease whether he was R&B crooning, covering someone else’s material (Alicia Keys’s “If I Ain’t Got You”) or working a grittier number. His heartfelt “She Will Be Loved,” sung from the soundboard in the middle of the audience, while maintaining its breeziness musically, felt sincere. And “This Love” and “Harder to Breathe” stayed true to form as well. There just wasn’t enough diversity to take the performance out of the safety zone.
