Quick! Name a Maroon 5 song! That wasn’t so hard, was it? Of course not, because the band that’s brought you hit after hit throughout a career that’s lasted more than two decades knows just how to produce tunes so delightful that you’ve got to play them over and over again. And those incredible abilities have earned the group its own Las Vegas residency, which returns to Dolby Live this week with shows on Oct. 2 and 4-5.
A Vegas residency only seems right for the pop rockers who have made a habit of playing New Year’s Eve on the Strip, even returning for the holiday three times during their Maroon V Tour and concluding their Red Pill Blues Tour and MMXXI Tour by kicking off the new year in Vegas. And, boy, did they do this residency right!
Surrounded by the chic ambience of Dolby Live, three dynamically programmed LED walls and elaborate lighting, the six-piece group, consisting of lead singer Adam Levine, guitarists James Valentine and Jesse Carmichael, keyboardist PJ Morton, bassist Sam Farrar and drummer Matt Flynn, takes you through the band’s history by playing songs from all of its albums while multiple video vignettes play behind them, designed for the residency in collaboration with producer David Dobkin, who’s long worked with the band to create music videos for “Sugar,” “Memories” and “Middle Ground,” among others.
Photo by: Denise Truscello
The whole show is perfectly poppy with brightly colored backdrops and high-energy moments, but also has a slight edge that reflects the band’s rock, R&B and funk influences. You can count on singing your heart out to favorites from the group’s 2002 quintessential album, Songs About Jane, like “Sunday Morning” and “She Will Be Loved,” more recent hits like “Girls Like You,” and everything in between.
Each video short lets fans feel just a touch closer to the sextet by allowing short glances into the band’s journey to success, emphasizing the ever-important role devoted Marooners have played. In a particularly heartfelt moment, a collection of childhood pictures and videos plays as Levine’s voice recounts his and Maroon 5’s relationship with late manager and close friend Jordan “Jordi” Feldstein before the band returns to play “Memories.”
“I always want to make sure everybody in this room, every night we play this residency, fully understands that (“Memories”) is about that man right there. And that’s what that song is about for us, but what I think is so beautiful about the song and as it’s gained popularity over the years, it meant something different,” Levine told the crowd at a performance this year. “It meant a different person for everybody that loved that song, and so that is an extremely special song to have as a band, that we can share with everybody. So we just want to say thank you for sharing with us.”
There’s no telling what surprises the group may have in store for upcoming shows, but come prepared to dance, laugh, tear up and lose your voice. Even if you don’t think you know the lyrics, you’ll find that you know more than you think—probably because catchy Maroon 5 tunes have been constant on airwaves since the band’s first hit.
Park MGM. ticketmaster.com
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