Ever since American pop-rock band Maroon 5 officially launched their 2002 album “Songs About Jane,” they have been leaving their artistic footprint behind in the industry. From classic songs like “This Love” and “She Will Be Loved” to more recent pop hits like “Sugar” and “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 have proved to be one of the most successful bands for the past more than 20 years.
After postponing their 2020 tour due to COVID-19, Maroon 5 finally performed at Fenway Park on Sept. 12, bringing multiple generations together with a variety of their songs from the last two decades.
The show opened with Ava Max, the singer of the hit single “Sweet but Psycho,” and blackbear, who is known for songs such as “do re mi” and “hot girl bummer.”
When Maroon 5 entered the stage, they built up the excitement for the audience by using beats and gradually transitioning into their opening song, the 2010 “Moves Like Jagger.” Unlike their traditional radio version, the band included additional guitar notes and drum beats, making it more vibrant and fitting for the concert.
Adam Levine, the lead vocalist of Maroon 5, wore a Boston Red Sox jersey with his last name printed on the back, an homage to Fenway Park and Boston. His outfit and excitement for the Boston crowd had the audience cheering for the band filling up the entire Fenway Park with shouts and screams.
Following their iconic opening song, Maroon 5 played one of their early songs, “This Love.” Hearing the song live instantly hit me with nostalgia, and had the audience singing along as Levine walked up to the very front of the stage.
The concert continued with songs such as “One More Night” and “Animals.” The majority of songs were connected to each other in a way that seemed natural. While “One More Night” and “Animals” are from different albums and each song has completely different vibes, the immediate transition from one song to the next was smooth and built up the anticipation.
One of the major highlights of the Fenway concert, however, was how they paused before playing “Payphone” — a dramatic, emotional 2012 song about a relationship crumbling that still ranks number three on their Spotify — and shared with the audience that they have never imagined themselves to be performing at Fenway Park and looked back on how difficult last year was with COVID-19 and postponing the tour until further notice.
“Payphone” felt more personal and nostalgic than the regular studio version here because Levine shared how grateful the band was for this specific concert to happen in front of his eyes. The fact that Levine sang the first half of the “Payphone” with just a few notes of guitar from James Valentine really added onto the emotions. The crowd responded by turning on flashlights on their phones —- for the next three minutes, everyone was united by the music.
The nostalgia and personal connection between the band and the audience continued through the performance of the 2019 “Memories,” by switching the screens next to the stage from vibrant colors to black-and-white.
The song was meant to honor anyone who has died, as Levine tweeted “This song is for anyone who has ever experienced loss. In other words, this song is for all of us” in 2019 when it first came out.
After “Memories,” the band played “Girls Like You,” and the screens panned to live streams of people in the audience, connecting the band and the audience even more.
Maroon 5 ended the concert with two of their most popular songs — “She Will Be Loved” and “Sugar.” Even though the two songs have their unique melodies, both songs had the audience sing along from word to word, ending the night with unity and excitement.
No matter how long ago these songs came out, they can always bring a large group of people, even with the generation gaps, together. Even after more than 20 years of their release, “She Will Be Loved” and “This Love” were still welcomed by people of all ages. Maroon 5 brought their audience together through their songs, demonstrating the power of music.
