"Maroon 5 sounds are forgettable"

Posted October 11, 200717 yr

By MELISSA RUGGIERI
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE Much like their records, Maroon 5's live show is impressively polished, perfectly palatable, yet completely toothless.

At the John Paul Jones Arena last night -- the seventh of a 28-date tour -- studly frontman Adam Levine confirmed that he's a manlier Justin Timberlake, blessed with a falsetto that is lovely, but also a tad grating after 85 minutes.

There might have been four other guys behind him, but from the opening "If I Never See Your Face Again" to the slick soul-pop of the radio-friendly "Makes Me Wonder," this was, undoubtedly, the Levine Show.

While his frequent strutting down two catwalks spaced to form the legs of a capital "M" drew an instant memory of "Zoolander's" "blue steel" pose -- furthered by Levine's sharp cheekbones and the taut triceps peeking out from under his T-shirt/vest ensemble -- Levine proved a decent, if unspectacular, centerpiece.

In an effort to engage fans during "The Sun," Levine egged them on with a Sting-like call-and-response and by telling them to pretend as if they were on a pirate ship and he was the captain.

Seriously.

Though the band isn't quite ready for arenas -- evidenced by mediocre ticket sales in most markets and a smallish crowd of about 6,000 last night -- Levine did his best to keep the ladies squealing by tossing out a few decent guitar solos, playing a stand-up drum set during the encore and hitting some impossibly high notes.

One can't help but wonder what the band will do in a decade when the 28-year-old Levine loses his choir-boy range, given that his high-pitched delivery informs every song.

Much of the musical credit for Maroon's live set goes to drummer Matt Flynn, whose thunderclap beats anchored "Harder to Breathe" and "This Love." Guitarist James Valentine plucked out the gentle opening to "Secret" as the band fell into a soft rock groove behind him, then veered sharply into the hard-charging "Shiver," one of the few moments that rocked with genuine bite.

Also noteworthy -- the intoxicating tick-tock of current single "Wake Up Call" and the beautifully melodic chorus that colors "Won't Go Home Without You."

Toward the end of the night, Levine chastised some people in the fourth row for not standing and clapping. Well, dude, maybe they don't find you as exciting as you apparently do.

A contrast in energy was openers The Hives. The Swedish quintet wouldn't exist without singer Howlin' Pelle Almqvist, a baby Jagger who is such a winning frontman, you almost don't realize how forgettable the band's music is -- all rapid bursts of sound with the same four-on-the-floor beats and crunchy power chords.

Clad in their customary black-and-white suits, the band burned through a 30-minute set that included new single "Tick Tick Boom" and "Hate To Say I Told You So," a little tune that insinuates itself into your brain and is the closest the band has come to a major breakthrough.

The charismatic Almqvist worked hard to win over a crowd that initially seemed unsure of the band, hanging over a stage barricade to blow kisses to a row of unimpressed blondes and taking frequent strolls through the crowd.

If the band has a future past its small, but vocal, fan base, Almqvist deserves all the kudos.