Maroon 5, Train, Gavin DeGraw
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 2, 2011
The Deal: The Stageshow, but for pop music lovers there was no place else to be on Tuesday night.
The Good: The show kicked off with pop/rocker Gavin DeGraw, who showed off his piano skills and booty in so tight black jeans. He was hot in more ways than one, as it was still over 90 degrees at the start of his over 30 minute set. There wasn't much memorable about his set, until DeGraw launched into his biggest hit, "I Don't Wanna Be." He's pretty good on the keys.
Train took the crowd through their greatest hits, lead singer Patrick Monahan, vocals were flawless. But he was another hot singer and asked the crowd — "Is anyone else out there warm?" Though "Hey Soul Sister," became one of the most annoying songs of the decade, Train is a fun band to see live, because they work the crowd and incorporate their energy into the show. Highlight of the Train set was the cover of U2's "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and Monahan's dance solo with the female cello player.
Before Maroon 5 took the stage the crowd was frenzied. The drum solo that started the show was too good to ease into the ultra poppy "Moves Like Jagger." It's clear that Songs About Jane is a classic, because those songs still rock.
Adam Levine on the guitar is a sight to see and he doesn't sound that bad, either. I just never realized how many Maroon 5 songs started with Levine screaming "yeah," over and over again. Levine told the crowd about their first performance at Verizon, it was in the parking lot. "I said, we're going to make it on the stage. And here we are. It's still hot," he said to the roaring crowd before launching into "Hands All Over."
The Bad: There was too much time taken to change the sets between acts, which added length to the show, it was after 11 when Maroon 5 closed the night with an extended version of "She Will Be Loved."
The Verdict: Charlotte loves pop music and this show satisfied that passion. None of the groups strayed from what made them popular. That was just fine with the crowd.