Maroon 5 infectious -- and bland

Posted November 8, 200717 yr

By Jim Harrington
STAFF WRITER

Article Launched: 11/07/2007 10:25:25 AM PST

In a different era, Maroon 5 might've been regulars on "The Lawrence Welk Show."
OK, that might be overstating the matter (a bit) as a way to underscore the band's sanitized, middle-of-the-road approach to popular music. A more appropriate critique, sticking in the TV realm, is that these guys could be the house band on "American Idol."

The Los Angeles-based pop/R&B quintet makes bland, safe music for those people who might find Air Supply or a-ha overly stimulating. It also makes music that sticks in people's heads _ much like a jingle on a radio commercial. You might fall asleep while listening to a Maroon 5 tune, but you'll drift off with the chorus ringing in your brain. In all, no other band balances boring and catchy quite like Maroon 5.

Yet, catchy bland music sells these days. Maroon 5's new sophomore CD, "It Won't Be Soon Before Long," debuted at No. 1 on the charts, having moved nearly half a million copies in its first week. The group also drew more than 9,000 fans to its show on Tuesday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

The line on Maroon 5 is "you've got to see them live." While that has proven true with some acts, like the Dave Matthews Band and Phish, it doesn't hold water with Maroon 5.

Judging by the San Jose date, Maroon 5 is much better on disc than in the live arena. This band gives you more when it gives you less. The group is good at manufacturing concise, radio-friendly pop hits. Whenever the players stretch those songs out in concert, with crowd sing-alongs or guitar solos, the result is inferior to the recorded versions.
At least, that was the case on Tuesday night. The band delivered 80 minutes' worth of rock that was so soft -- in spirit more than volume or tempo -- the tunes could have been used as a pillow. The meek attempts to roughen up a few of the songs, with guitar leads that seemed to have been bought at Wal-Mart, didn't help matters.

The group, which consists of vocalist-guitarist Adam Levine, guitarist James Valentine, bassist Mickey Madden, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael and new drummer Matt Flynn, did its best work on the tracks from its first album, 2002's multi-platinum "Songs About Jane." Notably, the group connected with fine versions of "Harder to Breathe" and "The Sun."

Levine, who was dressed in black tuxedo pants and black T-shirt, and who sported the perfect Don Johnson-length of stubble, was certainly an energetic front man. He continually raced about the stage, which boasted two cat walks that extended eight rows into the crowd, and tried his best to whip up the crowd's enthusiasm level.

What was working against him, however, was the material. Maroon 5's setlist didn't contain many songs that made you want to jump up and down. A simple tap of the foot and nodding of the head was more than an adequate response for "Won't Go Home Without You" and "Secret."

During the latter, the band sampled Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight," which resulted in one of the crowd's biggest responses. When a Phil Collins cover is what gets the audience's blood pumping, a band is really in trouble.

The highlight of the show was when Maroon 5 performed its signature hit, "This Love," which remains one of the catchiest pop songs of the decade. It's so catchy that I bet fans could still hear its chorus ringing in their heads as they drifted off to sleep -- a little more easily than usual, on Tuesday night.