Maroon 5 @ Madison Square Garden, NYC
October 29th, 2007 - by Sara G
Wednesday, October 10th was a new high for Maroon 5. The band was about to play their first show at the infamous Madison Square Garden, and I was there. Personally I prefer their debut album, Songs About Jane
The seats weren’t the best; the show was sold out with scalpers all along 8th Ave. As I sat down, there was an undeniable energy in the crowd. But it wasn’t just teenage girls screaming for Adam Levine. There were men and women of all ages waiting for the band to come on. The lights dimmed and then the trouble started. Two overweight teens behind me started screaming in pitches that cross that threshold between human and canine decibels. I tried to ignore as the opening started, the big M behind the band lighting up and taking the crowd by storm. The stage extended out so that Levine and the caveman-like guitarists could venture out into the crowd as they pleased. The group sounded great, and varied their songs from album to album.
Unfortunately, the screaming banshees behind me continued. Any angry looks only prompted the pitch to elevate. People in the rows in front of me started turning around to yell. The nightmare ensued. When the band began their new trademark notes of “Wake Up Call,” I couldn’t take it. I turned around and screamed at them, trying to match the sound. People around me laughed. It was getting ridiculous. Finally, on stage, Levine started getting involved with the crowd, explaining his New York ties. He quieted everyone down, asking them to take out their cell phones to see the light reflected off the sold-out crowd. The view was amazing. Thousands of tiny screens lit the darkness. The girls screamed. One dropped their phone. I picked it up. The revenge was sweet, as she started to freak over her lost cell. A few minutes later, I threw it back at her and walked down to a lower level. From there, I enjoyed the rest of the concert, watching Maroon 5 tear up the stage and do crazy renditions on such faves as “Shiver,” “The Sweetest Goodbye,” and “She Will Be Loved.” I was most impressed with Levine, who not only sang, played the guitar with great skill and entertained the crowd, but treated everyone to his fantastic drumming skills. A guest appearance from Kayne West, now known as Mr. West to MTV video fans, created quite the uproar. Levine and West collaborated on one song, which was hard to make out as the fans realized they were watching music history in the making for one of the biggest bands of the…’00s? The next day I listened to the band’s records with a different ear. They make chart-topping hits in the studio, but like the best performers, nothing beats their live sound.
