Maroon 5 rocks the stage at maiden India concert, frontman Adam Levine promises to be back

Mumbai, Dec 4 (PTI) At American pop rock band Maroon 5’s debut India concert, frontman Adam Levine worked his magic on the crowd and how. He ‘moved’ like Mick Jagger, made it a night to remember for a special fan, and promised to return to the country with another show.

The iconic Mahalaxmi Racecourse in South Mumbai transformed into a concert arena on a working day for Tuesday’s 1.5 hour-show, which was attended by a cross-section of spectators like officegoers, students, and tourists from cities, including Pune, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Chandigarh.

When Maroon 5 took the stage around 8 pm, frontman Adam Levine wasted no time and dove straight into performing high-energy tracks such as “Animals” and “One More Night.”

“This is our first time here (India). We’ve been a band for a long time we’ve been all over the world but we’ve never been here. We’re sorry we’re late, but we made it, and that’s what is important,” Levine told thousands of fans who welcomed him with loud cheers.

“If we don’t have the support of fans, we don’t have a job. We love you so much, we’re sorry it took so long to come here. But we will be back next time,” he said.

Levine, who leads the music group comprising Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine, drummer Matt Flynn, keyboardist PJ Morton and bassist Sam Farrar, expressed gratitude to a sea of admirers from “the bottom of our hearts”.

“We’re happy we made it here tonight to see you guys. I promise we will do the best show tonight, alright? Tonight is going to be the best f***ing crowd. The band has one rule. We always encourage and love it when you sing. Will you sing with us tonight?” he asked, with many in the crowd responding with a round of applause.

It was, however, a special night for one of the fans named Suman.

Minutes before the concert was about to conclude, Levine invited Suman on stage and gifted her a beautiful bouquet. The vocalist then hugged her, making his admirer teary eyed who later thanked him for the songs he had created over the years.

“I don’t know how are you going to get down but can I sing for you a little bit?” Levine said as he sang the hit love ballad “She Will Be Loved”, for Suman, whom he helped getting off from the stage.

Before he made the crowd emotional with this gesture, Levine sent waves of excitement among female fans and asked, “Where are my ladies tonight?”

Throughout the concert, neither the energy of the crowd nor the band dipped as Levine and his group belted out one chartbuster after the other, including all-time favourites “Memories”, “Moves Like Jagger”, “Lucky”, and “Girls Like You”.

Midway into the show, the singer took off his black T-shirt and flaunted his many tattoos, which made many women swoon in the crowd. “You are looking hot!” one of the female fans said.

Every once in a while, Levine would check in on the fans whether were having an “amazing” time like him or not, and in return, the audience would cheer their loudest.

“I want to thank you guys because tonight before we got off here, I was exhausted, I didn’t know if I was going to make it to the show. I swear, I was so tired as we were all f***ed up due to the long flight. But the second I got out here I felt your energy,” said Levine, who arrived with the group on early Tuesday morning.

Bengaluru-based Jayashree, who attended the show with her friends, said she enjoyed the band’s performance.

“We all love the Maroon 5 band. Adam was amazing, what a voice. I loved every bit of the concert,” she told PTI.

In a light-hearted moment, Levine, 45, asked the audience to make some noise if they were born before the Maroon 5 debuted in 2002.

“Maroon 5 is been a band for over 20 years, our first album came out in 2002. I know for a fact that some of you guys were not born before that. Make some noise if you were born before 2002, make some noise if you were born after 2002. That’s pretty good. So, most of you are my age,” he quipped.

Pune-based Ritu, who is in her 50s, said the band’s music goes beyond age groups.

“The music of Maroon 5 is so great; the songs are so touching. I lost my father recently so the ‘Memories’ song was heart-wrenching for me. His (Levine’s) music transcends generations, my children also love him, and so do I. My daughter was super excited when I told her about the concert, but she couldn’t make it as she is studying abroad,” Ritu told PTI.

As the concert came to an end, fireworks lit up in the sky, marking a starry and bright end to Maroon 5’s first concert in India. It was produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live