But for now let’s enjoy some Maroon 5 music:

If you’ve ever wondered what some of today’s greatest hits sound “classical” then have I got the CD for you. Our friends over at Vitamin Records have reworked some great hits using a string quartet. Number four is definitely close to my heart and to this blog because it is a tribute to Maroon 5’s first hit of their sophomore album, Makes Me Wonder. This volume has some great songs such as Rockstar by Nickelback, Thnks fr th Mmrs by Fall Out Boy and Wait for You by Elliot Yamin. All these songs are beautifully done by professionals and the outcome is genius. They have another album which has more Maroon 5 songs and other artists that are reworked with the quartet. If you think the radio has killed your favorite songs, this will definitely bring a breath of fresh air to your current favorites. Don’t expect these cuts to be played on the radio as you can only get these through Vitamin Records website. While you’re there check out the other albums most of which are of one particular artist. But I’d definitely get my money’s worth by getting the volumes which have various artists. There’s an option to hear a sample of the song done with violins. So be sure to drop by their website, pick up some CDs and let me know what you think. Do you like these strung out versions of our favorite hits? Does Maroon 5 sound well with string instruments? You be the judge. Make sure to leave comments on what your opinion is. I’d love to hear from you all.

Our boys, Maroon 5, have been nominated for an American Music Award and for the first time ever, we get to vote to decide who gets the award. So make sure to vote for Maroon 5 in the category Pop or Rock, Favorite Band, Group, or Duo. Adam Levine and the boys are up against some good bands so it will be interesting to see who wins. They are up against Nickelback and Linkin Park. All three bands have had tremendous success. But the power is in our hands to be see who gets these awards so go onto the AMA website to cast your ballot for Maroon 5 and other nominees for other categories. Voting started on October 9 and you have until Thursday, November 2 to get your vote in. You must be over the age of thirteen and a United States resident.

Last if you haven’t already you should consider seeing Maroon 5 in concert. They are superb live. One great thing that Maroon 5 has decided to do was to perform on November 8 in Las Vegas at the Pearl venue. This concert is special because it is apart of Rock for Darfur concert series. Basically, a ton of venues around the United States are going to hold concerts in benefit for Darfur which is experiencing one of the worst genocides to date. These multiple concerts will be able to help benefit and raise awareness for this terrible tragedy. Go to the Rock for Darfur Myspace page to find out more information to see if there is a concert near your area which you can attend or if you’re willing to come to Vegas to watch Maroon 5 perform.

Ever wanted to be a music reporter? Here’s your chance to do it while winning some great prizes. Maroon 5 along with Flip.com and LiveNation are teaming up to give everyone a chance to become a reporter. The contest entails that you score tickets to an upcoming Maroon 5 show in your hometown. If you’re lucky enough to receive that, then you have to pay good attention to the show and the photos you take and your review will be featured on flip.com and livenation.com. Amongst all of those reviews, one lucky winner will get to fly to Los Angeles in November where they will be treated to a 2 night 3 day stay at Los Angeles, attend Maroon 5’s hometown show at Los Angeles on November 8 at the Staples Area and be able to meet the band. Check my previous post on how to enter.

This isn’t the only contest available to be able to see Maroon 5 live. The other contest is held by CW in Miami. This past October 2nd and October 9th, if you watch the CW during Beauty and the Geek, there will be a number to call and the first four callers will win two tickets to see the band live. The grand prize winner, announced on October 21st, will win premium tickets, a parking pass and dinner for the night. I’m sure every city has ways to win tickets to see the band so be on the look out or better yet bookmark this page to find out more opportunities and inside news about Maroon 5.

Don’t miss out to be able to see these guys perform hits off their first album and new stuff from their current album such as their latest single, Wake Up Call.

Saturday, September 29th marked the first stop on Maroon 5’s U.S. tour. Their first stop was Detroit, Michigan. Today they’ll be playing in St. Paul, Minnesota playing at the Xcel Energy Center. After that, the boys are headed straight to Rosemont, Illinois. Helping kick off their shows will the The Hives and Sara Bareilles. If you happen to be in an area that they’ll be playing at be sure to check these guys out live. They are a great live performance and that’s coming from experience. I’ve already got my ticket for the San Diego show and am excited to see these guys perform their new stuff from their great sophomore album. Their sophomore album, It Won’t Be Soon Before Long, has gone down in the billboard charts from 15 last week to 27 this week but has already become a platinum record and with more publicity, a tour and a music video that YOU can be apart of their sophomore album is bound to become another multi-platinum record for Maroon 5.

Looking at the floor plans for the Maroon 5 concert, it looks like Adam Levine will be able to walk out onto two platforms to give his fans a little extra than a standard performance. The Detroit show was an 80-minute show and Maroon 5 had a 14 song set. As always in a Maroon 5 concert, they will play covers of other great hits. For instance, when I went to see them, they did a mash up of Akon’s Don’t Matter and a Sting song. It’ll be a show to remember to be sure to check it out.

For more updates and news about Adam, James, Jesse, Mickey and Matt be sure to bookmark this page for frequent updates and interesting stories about Maroon 5.

Here’s a chance for all of your Maroon 5 fans to spend three days and two nights in Los Angeles to watch Maroon 5 perform in November at the Staple’s Arena. Nice.

Good luck to all. Of course this is going to be a great show because this is Adam Levine’s hometown.

This is another bonus track called Figure it Out. Check it out!

LAS VEGAS — “It’s that time! It’s time to get naughty,” Robin Thicke teased the crowd in between crotch grabs. “We are in Vegas, you know.”

Just because the VMA Fandemonium concert was benefiting HIV/AIDS awareness group Lifebeat didn’t mean it couldn’t also be steamy. Indeed, Thicke and Adam Levine were playing a high-stakes sex-appeal game on Saturday night, trying to outdo each other in a bid to win over the ladies in the audience. When it was time to follow up Thicke’s act, Levine told the crowd, “I was like, ‘Sh–, I gotta bring it.’ So thank you, Robin Thicke, thank you for stepping on my game.”

Thicke’s take throughout his hour-long set was more sultry sweet — alternating between hiding behind the piano for falsetto love ballads and stepping out in front, using his whole body to express urgings that were more euphemistic in the music alone. Thicke cut Lil Wayne’s rap out of “Shooter,” and thrusted his hips — and the crowd loved it. “We’re going to do a bit of everything tonight,” he told them. “Some love, some loss, some lust, some regret, and hopefully we’re all going to feel better.”

Before nearly every song, he told the crowd what provoked him to write it — a bad relationship, losing faith in himself, issues with his family — but none of the songs required explanation. If they weren’t clear through the lyrics (which are pretty straightforward in songs like “Wanna Love U Girl” and “Lost Without U”), they were made clear through his body language. On “2 the Sky,” he reached one arm heavenward while playing piano with the other. Before “Teach U a Lesson,” he said, “You know when you’re in a relationship and it’s time to try new things? We’re all adults here. Try talking dirty or role-playing? I was doing a bit of both when I wrote this one.” Caressing his mic, he tore his tie off, unbuttoned his shirt and swiveled his hips. “How many bad girls in Vegas tonight? Fellas, pay attention.”

Maroon 5 did, at least — because the first thing Adam Levine did was make sure everyone knew, despite his falsetto singing voice, that he’s 100 percent red-blooded male. By comparison, Thicke’s antics were subtle. Levine, wearing a vest that bared his muscular arms, played it hard. Instead of stopping between songs to chat, Maroon 5 pummeled through one hit after another, treating each as if it were a showstopper — so that when they were through, despite being the headliner, the band had spent less time onstage than its opening act.

With his legs askew, Levine ripped open his vest to reveal even more skin during “Makes Me Wonder” — leaving less to wonder about — and by “Harder to Breathe,” was gesturing for the crowd to give him something back. Turns out all he wanted was a little audience participation, which he got during “The Sun.” “Come on!” he urged. “That was good! That was really cool.” His job done, he strapped on his guitar and started dancing while the crowd sang for him. The rest of the band got a break too, because by the chorus of “This Love,” the crowd was singing a cappella.

It wasn’t all a love fest — Maroon 5 made sure the element of danger was still present, with Levine reminding the crowd that “Wake Up Call” was about his fantasies of committing murder. “It’s about things that I think most people do, in a sick way, fantasize about,” he said, before bringing things back to where he started: “So dudes, you have no excuse [not to get any action] tonight. It’s Vegas.”

We only wish we could be there.

Did anyone catch the VMA’s? Our boy, Adam Levine, did a little performance, as did many others, with the DJ of the night, Mark Ronson. He performed a stylized version of Wake Up Call, of course with plenty of brass courtesy of Mark Ronson’s influence.

Maroon 5 is set to perform in the VMA Fandemonium to benefit LIFEbeat, The Music Industry Fights AIDS. It’ll be at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay at Vegas. The concert sponsored by Neutrogena will also include another VMA nominated artist, Robin Thicke and a well known DJ. This is to benefit awareness for AIDS and protection so if you’re in the area of Vegas or plan on going there this Saturday be sure to check it out. Tickets are available here.