Maroon 5

Myspace secret shows rolls around U.S. towns every once in a while gracing the town with a once in a lifetime free performance of an artist. San Diego was lucky enough to have a Myspace Secret Show headlined by Maroon 5. On May 13, Maroon 5 was set to perform an intimate performance at Mira Mesa’s Epicentre. This came to a surprise to a lot of locals as this is a small teen center that was going to host a big Grammy winning band like Maroon 5. The show started at 7PM and considering that Myspace was hosting the event I expected utter chaos so decided to show up at 4PM with a friend to wait in line. As expected, lawn chairs and blankets were laid across the sidewalk as if this was a beach. We got our place in line and waited to receive the coveted wrist band that guaranteed us entry into the venue.

Upon entering, people rushed to get a get spot in the venue which was just an empty floor. We stood near the back where it was elevated to get a good view without the body heat from the front. As soon as the opening act finished, Adam and company entered from backstage to the sound of screaming fans. The first song they performed was “Harder to Breathe”, followed by their current single “Makes Me Wonder.” With a mix of old songs with new songs, they kept the crowd going and pumped. They interacted with the crowd by acknowledging a poster board made by a fan which wished James Valentine a happy birthday then singing happy birthday. They also grabbed cameras from the audience and took pictures with it. But back to the important topic, the music was, of course, great. The crowd knew they were in for a rare treat by hearing songs no one else has heard live from their sophomore album and also being able to see Maroon 5 perform in such a small venue instead of a stadium. They went on to perform classics from the first album such as She Will Be Loved and of course, This Love, which was sung by the majority of the audience. But the most interesting part of the show was when Adam Levine decided to give the band a break and bust out his guitar and perform covers of different songs. The most interesting having to be a mash up of a Sting song with Akon’s current single, Don’t Matter. The night ended on a good note as everyone was handed a Myspace poster and those who stayed behind got to see Maroon 5 up close as they came back out to sing autographs and take pictures.

So in conclusion, Myspace shows are great if they are in your town with a band you like and they are free. But most of all, Maroon 5 is as great live as they are in their music videos. If you ever have an opportunity to see them live, grab it.