Paint the town Maroon
It’s impossible not to be obsessed with lead singers of rock bands, especially if they are oozing with sex appeal. I am pretty sure that there were times when we all got mesmerized by front men or women and fantasized about being their immortal beloved. Among my rock ‘n’ roll fixations, I was in love with Axl Rose, Bono, Paul Weller and now my guilty pleasure, Adam Levine of Maroon 5.
Well, he is one kid notorious for dating A-list celebrities like Paris Hilton, Natalie Portman, Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson. Plus, remember the This Love video with his then-girlfriend, model Kelly McKee — like a modern Mick Jagger from Performance for this mainstream, guitar-pop generation. Blame it on his charm, roguishly handsome looks, tattoos and semi-Mohawk hair.
But enough about Adam and more of the rest of the band who were in Manila for the very first time to perform at The Big Dome.
At the press con at Araneta’s Southgate, security was tight with bouncers as big as The Contenders contestants. Oh, I was given a “limited” access pass only to be surrendered again later. No souvenir there.
When Maroon 5 entered the venue, James Valentine (guitar), Jesse Carmichael (keyboards), Mickey Madden (bass), Matt Flynn (drums) and Adam, of course, who normally look great in photo shoots, were all dressed casually cool before the gig.
Following their first album “Songs About Jane” comes their sophomore album (with an ’80s pop influence), “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.” Ricky Ilacad and Wilson Cruz of MCA Universal Philippines handed platinum awards to the band.
So when I asked the band about their influences for their new album and their approach to recording it, Adam, with Los Angeles tattoo on his shoulder and acoustic guitar tattoo on his arm, smiled at me and I melted like a teeny bopper.
“We listened to a lot of bands for the second album especially The Police,” says Levine. “Everyone goes through the same kind of stuff. We just try to make our album personal and as honest as possible. Our success is due to the boys being on the same page.”
Like all-American lads, Maroon 5’s first-ever concert here was jam-packed with fans of all ages and they really paid a whole lot of money for VIP seats. The band started with If I Never See Your Face Again. Then, when it was Harder To Breathe, they played Phil Collin’s In The Air Tonight with the drum solo that Stewie of Family Guy sang when he got sucked inside the TV set.
Adam then got the crowd excited when he said, “Hello Philippines. All right, I learned how to say ‘Magandang gabi’ and ‘Isa, dalawa, tatlo, apat.” The venue was transformed into a giant karaoke club when the band played Sunday Morning, my current favorite Won’t Go Home Without You and This Love.
Of course, no Maroon 5 concert would be complete without one of their biggest hits, She Will Be Loved. Adam then said, “I’m feeling real energy. Mahal kita. Even if we’re far from home, I feel really loved. I hope everyone feels what I am feeling. This is one of the best concerts we’ve ever played.”
I even got into a slight argument with Igan over liking Maroon 5 — because in one article from Telegraph, Noel Gallagher described the band as hopeless and wouldn’t even want Oasis to be in the same lineup as them at the V Festival.
Hey, now, at least Maroon 5 somehow appeals to quite a number of fans and they left a guitar-pop mark on the music scene, thanks to the sexy front man Adam Levine.
And there’s nothing wrong with that because they are loved here, there, and everywhere — just enough to paint the town a brighter shade of maroon.
* * *
Special thanks to Grace Foronda of MCA Universal and Thea Aragon of Smart. E-mail love-hate whatever things to becca_rodriguez@yahoo.com.
