Maroon 5, Train, and Gavin DeGraw performed for a sold-out crowd at the Sandia Casino outdoor amphitheater Wednesday night, and fans couldn’t have asked for a better evening. After last week’s Dolly Parton show was nearly rained out due to an active monsoon season here, the weather for this show was picture perfect--almost as perfect as the performance by Maroon 5’s singer Adam Levine.
Opening the show with their latest single, "Moves Like Jagger", Levine immediately turned on the charm and broke out his moves. Singing both parts of the up-tempo duet that he recorded with Christina Aguilera, the charismatic front man worked every inch of the stage with an energy and passion that demanded the crowd’s attention, and brought them to their feet.
From the second Levine stepped on stage, it was clear that he aimed to please. While his undeniable sex appeal had women in the crowd screaming for him and singing earnestly along with him, his performance offered something for everyone. Mixed in with the sentimental love songs and sultry movements, Levine broke out some surprisingly powerful guitar performances, giving the guys something to sink their teeth into.
While the entire show was outstanding, with an incredibly well-tuned vocal performance from Levine, it was the encore that brought some of the most memorable moments of the evening. The band opened the encore with the title track from their "Hands all over" CD, and Levine’s lyrics “put your hands all over me” got him more than he bargained for. An eager fan managed to get up onto the stage during the encore, where she wrapped her arms completely around Levine’s body for several terrifying seconds and shook him up and down like a bear that was planning to eat him before security was able to peel her off of him. Visibly shaken, Levine said, “Let’s talk about that…I would never NOT hug someone back, but if you scare the shit out of me, I’m not going to hug you. That was terrifying.” It took him a few seconds to recover, but eventually he managed to get his groove back and finish the encore off strong.
The band managed to cover all of their biggest hits during the main set, with one exception, and fans were ready and waiting to hear "She Will Be Loved". Continuing the trend of the evening, Levine did not disappoint. His heartfelt dedication of the song to all of the women in the audience had him professing his love for women as the source of his inspiration and obsession. Levine performed the song flawlessly, and led the crowd in singing two overlapping refrains for a beautiful ending to an awesome night.
Gavin DeGraw opened the show for the two co-headliners Train and Maroon 5, and sang his most well-known hits "Chariot", "Follow Through", and "I Don't Want to Be", as well as the brand new single, “Not Over You” from his latest album “Sweeter” scheduled to release on September 20 of this year (read more in this interview published earlier this month). The singer seemed to have a renewed energy since his last visit to Albuquerque in 2009 when he played at Launchpad Nightclub, and gave a strong, upbeat performance. Besides entertaining the crowd, DeGraw’s main theme of the night was to leave a lasting impression on the Albuquerque fans. “Don’t forget me Albuquerque,” was a message he repeated, and he gave a show that would make it easy for them to remember.
Maroon 5 and Train continue their summer US tour at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO tonight, and are scheduled to hit cities throughout the country until September 24. Gavin DeGraw wraps up his portion of the tour on August 26, and Matt Nathanson will join in Louisville, KY, on August 28.
Setlist: Moves like Jagger, Harder to Breathe, Sunday Morning, If I Never, Misery, Makes Me Wonder, The Sun, Won’t Go Home Without You, Never Gonna Leave This Bed, Wake Up Call, Stutter, This Love, Encore: Hands All Over, She Will Be Loved
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