Overexposed World Tour 2012: The Maroon 5 Experience
by Len Armea

Sometimes, we say things we take back later on. I remember a friend asked me if I wasn’t going to watch Maroon 5’s concert the second time they visitManila. “No. I didn’t even watch their first concert. I know some of their songs but I am not a fan,” was what I remember telling my friend.

And then I happened to watch The Voice where Adam Levine, the band’s front man, is one of the coaches. I find him funny, witty and charming not to mention ruggedly handsome so I started listening to Maroon 5’s first three albums and loved it.

When it was announced that they were going here for the third time for their Overexposed World Tour, my sister and I were so eager to watch that we purchased tickets the first day it was released. It turned out to be a good decision because a month after, tickets were sold out.

So last September 18, we found ourselves at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum along with roughly 16,000 Maroon 5 fans who eagerly waited for them to rock the stage.

At around past nine o’clock, Araneta exploded with screams and shrieks from adoring fans as the first few notes of their carrier single “Payphone” from their fourth album “Overexposed” were heard. The jam-packed Araneta was at its feet as Adam Levine came out of the stage together with his band mates James Valentine (rhythm guitar), Mickey Madded (bass), PJ Morton (keyboard), and Matt Flynn (drummer).

Clad in black shirt and jeans, Adam sang Payphone that set the mood for the entire night. It was followed by “Makes Me Wonder” with its intro mashed with Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, and “Lucky Strike”.

“We love you so much,Manila! It’s nice to be back!” Adam quipped to the delight of the fans.

The crowd was all the more pumped up as the band performed their old hits like “Sunday Morning,” “If I Never See Your Face Again,” “Won’t Go Home Without You,” “Harder to Breathe,” “Wake Up Call,” “Hand’s All Over,” “Misery” and “This Love.”

For the encore, Adam gave the spotlight to guitarist James Valentine as he sang a White Stripes’ cover “Seven Nations Army” before proceeding to singing the acoustic version of “She Will Be Loved” followed by “Stereo Hearts,” “Daylight,” “Don’t You Want” (The Human League cover) and “Sexy Back” (Justin Timberlake cover).

To end the perfect night, the intro of Moves Like Jagger was playfully mashed with the Korean hit Oppa Gangnam Style which brought the house down!

There was so much energy from start to finish as the throng of fans sang along to every song, dance, beat, and scream to Adam’s every move and basically just having an amazing time.

So if a friend would ask me again if I’m going to watch their concert if Maroon 5 comes back, which Adam promised they would, my answer will be a resounding yes. And certainly we’ll be buying VIP tickets! 

Photos by RP Armea | Photo collage made exclusively by VerJube Photographics.

Take a look at the happenings onstage in Maroon 5’s Overexposed World Tour performing Don’t You Want Me, SexyBack, Gangnam Style and Moves Like Jagger in this video by sanmigsuperdry.