The endless touring for that record clearly paid off as Maroon 5 gracefully brought it down to the crackling basics in the first show of a six-date small-venue tour.
"Harder to Breathe" set the mood, distilling the band's hybrid sound: fat dance grooves and shuddering rock guitar riffs topped by frontman Adam Levine's yearning croon. The night followed in kind with Levine's cocksure swagger, killer falsetto, and surprisingly brawny electric guitar solos meshing seamlessly with Matt Flynn's funky yet light touch on drums and the colorful, polished keyboard work of Jesse Carmichael.
The band showcased the new album, playing five of its best tracks in and around eight familiar tunes from "Jane."
Each new song sounded like a potential hit single thanks to Levine's ability to craft appealing melodies and instantaneous, if not particularly inventive, sing-along choruses. Standouts included current dance-floor catnip "Makes Me Wonder," the almost new-wave flow of "Can't Stop," and the fizzy bounce of "Wake Up Call."
Curiously, at the close of the regular set there was only intermittent hooting and clapping. The lack of a demand for an encore was almost embarrassing given how enthusiastically the set had been received and the fact that the group had yet to perform its two biggest hits. When the band did return Levine slyly muttered "you're still here?"
The crowd responded by singing along to the smooth contours of "She Will Be Loved" and the bouncing-ball lyrics of "This Love."
