Like so many other things in life, a concert that looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily translate that way in practice. That was the case with Maroon 5’s cold, unaffecting show at the ACC last night.
The “looks good on paper” elements were plainly evident early on. The band’s reveal from behind a white curtain also introduced the crowd to an M-shaped stage. From there, some impressive screens during the show-opening “Pay Phone” gave way to a stunning laser show as part of “Lucky Strike,” which was later followed by a lights display featuring just about every tint you could find on a colour wheel.
There is, however, a vast difference between a colourful stage display and a colourful performance — and Maroon 5’s stage performance may as well have been shrouded in gray.
Lead singer Adam Levine was surprisingly drab, showcasing little of the charisma that has helped define him (no, Adam, teasing a T-shirt removal does not qualify as adequate stage presence). There was certainly none of the fire that Bon Jovi had in spades over the previous two nights in the building (the guitar skills, mind you, were considerable).
The songs were, well, just there. Credit the band for singing just about everything from its ever-growing category of radio-friendly hits, but the tracks weren’t sung with any added energy, nor were they allowed to breathe before the next track was quickly launched upon. In spite of an impressive arsenal of easily recognizable tunes, it’s hard to recall one standing out as special.
The problem may have had less to do with execution than planning.
The 1:45 set didn’t exactly leave time for any one song to sink in (heck, even the show-opening Neon Trees got 45 minutes). Before the crowd could cheer the end of “She Will Be Loved,” the band had already launched into the opening notes of the show-closing “Moves Like Jagger.” The advantage of a fast pace is that it maintains excitement, but the downside — which was more pronounced here — is the lack of any real sense of buildup. One song merely rolls into the opening bars of the next.
During Maroon 5’s Molson Amphitheatre show with Train in the summer of 2011, I remember thinking that Maroon 5 had stolen the show; that they deserved more than the 75 minutes they were given. But maybe, despite their ample song selection, they just aren’t built to go long.